


Dies Irae: Chaos

by Jen Hall (Greenlady)



Series: Dies Irae [2]
Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-10
Updated: 2010-10-10
Packaged: 2017-10-12 14:13:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/125720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenlady/pseuds/Jen%20Hall





	Dies Irae: Chaos

Dies Irae: Chaos

 

*********************************

 

Dies irae, dies illa  
solvet saeclum in favilla…

The day of wrath, that day  
Which will reduce the world to ashes…

**********************************************

 

'Ken? Ken, we're trying to help you. We can't help you if you won't talk to us.'

Hutch looked around the room. It was empty, but for himself and Dr. Joseph Warring.

'We?' Hutch asked, with mock alarm. 'There's someone else in the room with me, besides you? I don't see anyone else. My eyes! My eyes! I must be going blind.'

The psychiatrist smiled, with the air of a parent tolerantly observing the childish antics of his small son. 'By 'we', I meant all of us who are trying to help you. The police. The prison chaplain. The doctors and nurses at this hospital. The other psychiatrists who are attempting to cure your illness. We're all on your side, though you can't see that. Yet.'

'No,' said Hutch. 'I can't see that. I've seen no signs of any of you giving a shit about my happiness or well-being.'

'Good, good,' said Dr. Warring. 'At last you're expressing your feelings. Now we can get to the bottom of your hatred of society, and how badly you think it treats you. When you let all that out, we can show you how wrong you are. How truly sick you are. And then we can begin to help you.'

'Help me?' asked Hutch. 'How do you intend to do that?'

'Ah. More interest in these proceedings. Good, good.' Dr. Warring made a note in Hutch's chart. 'We want to give you shock treatment. It's worked in a lot of cases. We've had a number of patients like you. Homosexual men. So sad. We gave them shock therapy, and they no longer engage in their pathetic sexual behaviour.'

I believe you, thought Hutch. They probably don't engage in any sexual behaviour, pathetic or otherwise. They're probably incapable of any deep feelings. They probably don't remember their own names. They're probably vegetables....

'Ken? Ken! Are you drifting off again, Ken?'

'Drifting off, Joey? I'm sorry, but that sort of technical psychiatric language is beyond my understanding.'

'Joey?' The psychiatrist spluttered. 'My name is Dr. Warring. Don't forget it again.'

'And my name is Detective Sergeant Hutchinson. Don't forget that again.'

The psychiatrist smiled. This smile was a particularly unpleasant smile. 'It's usual, Ken, for a psychiatric patient to develop an... attachment to his therapist. To want his admiration. To want a relationship with him, even.'

'Oh, don't worry about that, Joey. You don't have to sit hunched over like that to protect your dick from me.'

'Ah. So you admit it. You think about touching me. It's natural, as I said. It's a sign you're accepting your....'

'Forget your fantasies about me, Joey. They're never coming true. I'm never going to fuck you during one of our little sessions.'

Dr. Warring turned bright red. He seemed to have trouble breathing. 'How dare you!' he said. He got to his feet, and went to the door. 'Guard!' he called. 'This session is over. Take the patient back to the prison.' He turned back to Hutch, and his eyes gleamed. 'We aren't making much progress this way, are we?' he asked. 'We should try electroshock therapy next. Maybe that will fix you.'

 

******************

 

Hutch stared at Dobey, through the prison glass. Dobey looked the same as he always had. That was more frightening than if he'd grown horns and a tail.

'Hutch? Hutch! Talk to me.'

'O, for God's sake,' said Hutch. 'Not you too?'

'What do you mean, me too?' asked Dobey, looking alarmed.

Hutch leaned forward, as if to share a secret. 'Don't worry,' he whispered. 'Whatever they told you, I'm not insane. I meant, that I spent the afternoon listening to Dr. Warring beg me to talk to him. When I did, he wasn't as happy as he thought he'd be. I don't accept his version of reality, you see. Like you, he wants his illusions preserved.'

'Illusions, Hutch?'

'Your illusions about yourself. Tell me something, Dobey. How do you sleep at night?'

'Very well, thanks,' said Dobey.

'I'm happy for you. You're a traitor, who shot a friend in the back, and dragged him off to jail, and then accused him of a crime that could get him life in prison, and yet you sleep well at night. What's your secret? Don't you have a soul?'

'You committed that crime, Hutch. Sodomy. It's a serious offence. It's immoral. It's a mental illness. I'm trying to help you.'

'Keep telling yourself that,' said Hutch. 'When they torture me, and destroy my soul, you can say it was all for the best. In the Middle Ages, people like you worked for the Inquisition. You'd have made a terrific Grand Inquisitor. But I guess you're doing all right for yourself.'

'Torture? What do you mean, torture? They're not going to torture you.'

'Didn't they tell you? They're giving me shock therapy. They're going to destroy my mind, and my soul, and my memories, and everything that makes me myself. Then they're going to congratulate themselves that they've cured me. Happy, Dobey?'

'Well, they know what they're doing,' said Dobey.

'I don't believe you. Why did you use a dart gun to shoot me in the back? Why not a real bullet? Why didn't you kill me? That would be better than having my memories of Starsky ripped from my mind and my heart.'

'I'm sorry, Hutch. But you can't go on living that lifestyle.'

'Shut up!' said Hutch. 'Go away and never come back. The sight of you makes me sick.'

'Hutch!'

Dobey looked, and sounded hurt, as if he were the one behind the prison bars.

'One last thing, Dobey. I've heard there's been an increase in violent deaths in the city recently.'

'That's true,' said Dobey.

'Good luck in dealing with the demons, Captain. Starsky told me I was a Demon Hunter. I don't know if that's true, but I'm more inclined to believe him than anyone in this universe right now. So, when the demons have taken over, and I'm a helpless vegetable, you can remember your words, and eat them.'

'Hutch, listen. When they give you the therapy, just go along with it. Thank them. Tell them you're sorry for your crimes, and that now you're cured. It will go easier for you at your trial. Maybe you'll get a lighter sentence. That's why we arranged it all.'

'We?' asked Hutch.

'We. Your friends. Your family. We're all concerned. We love you, Hutch. We don't want you to spend your life in prison. A former cop? A queer? You'll be raped, and beaten, and....'

'You should have thought of all that before you shot me that morning, Dobey. You should have let me go with Starsky. And tell my friends and family not to do me any more favours. I've had better treatment from my enemies. Was Huggy one of the concerned people involved in this?'

'Huggy? No. He's not talking to me these days,' said Dobey.

'I'm glad to see I still have one friend left,' said Hutch. 'He hasn't come to see me, though.'

'Hasn't he? No one's seen him for days. I'll look into that.'

'Please!' said Hutch. 'Don't bother. Spare Huggy from your friendship, at least. I'm going back to my cell now, to enjoy my last few days as Ken Hutchinson. I wish I could say it's been nice knowing you. Has it been nice knowing me, Dobey?'

'Of course it has, Hutch. I love you like a son....'

'Bye, Dobey. Don't come back.'

'Hutch!'

Hutch turned at the door from the visiting room, to look back at his former Captain. Dobey looked stricken. Good, thought Hutch. It means he still has a conscience, deep inside. But it's not up to me to save his soul. I'm going to have all I can do to save my own.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

'Starsky? Hey, Starsky!'

'Huh? Oh. Sorry, Captain Dobey. You been here long?'

'No. Only about ten minutes. It's just a wall, Starsky.'

'A wall that's keeping me from Hutch,' Starsky answered. 'I'd tear it down with my bare hands, if I thought it'd do any good.'

'Well, maybe this will help,' said Dobey. He handed Starsky a disc.

Starsky gazed at it, like Sir Galahad might have gazed upon the Holy Grail. He took it reverently, and went to insert it into his computer.

Captain Dobey looked around the warehouse. Starsky had moved most of his furniture in here, piece by piece, over the last two weeks. He had a TV set up, a radio, a refrigerator, and a stove. Starsky might be spending all his time waiting for his lover to return, but clearly he didn't intend to do it without at least some modern conveniences.

'What about the rats?' he asked Starsky.

'The what?'

'The rats, Starsky. When you moved in, you complained there were rats. Huggy told you there were always rats in warehouses.'

'I knew that already. But knowing about rats and living with them are two different things,' said Starsky. 'I pretty much solved that problem when I bought Push and Pull.'

'When you bought what?' asked Dobey.

'Not what, Captain. Who? Push and Pull!'

There was a rustling noise from the armchair by Starsky's desk. Two sets of bright eyes emerged from behind a pillow. Two long, golden-furred bodies slithered over to Starsky's lap.

'They're ferrets. They're long and golden and silky. Like Hutch. Warm. Like Hutch. They have bright eyes.'

'Like Hutch. I get the picture. Will Hutch be jealous when he comes home?'

Starsky laughed. 'It's not like that, Dobey, with me and Push and Pull. We're just good friends. Besides, they're mates. Male and female. Oh, look. The disc is starting up. What's on it?'

'Everything I was able to find on my own. Everything the Feds gave me. Everything Huggy gave me.'

'Everything, in other words.'

'All I could get, yes. The key words from those newspaper articles helped. There. The first story is about the world Hutch is trapped in. Or so they informed me. Does it look familiar?'

'As far as I can tell,' said Starsky. 'I haven't Travelled to many worlds, myself, so I'm no expert. Hutch tells me that sometimes worlds are similar at first glance. That it can take a while to see the differences. But these reports are encouraging.'

'Wait until you reach the data about the laws against sodomy. Hutch could be spending the rest of his life in prison.'

'I'll break him out,' Starsky declared, with typical self confidence.

'They may be punishing him for his perversion in various unpleasant ways. Electric shock. Drugs that cause nausea. Lobotomies.'

'Lobo what?'

'A form of surgery that severs the connections between parts of the brain. It's supposed to be a cure for mental illness.'

'What's that got to do with Hutch?'

'They probably think he's mentally ill,' said Dobey.

'You're saying he could be a mess when I find him? I'll clean him up. Don't try to discourage me, Captain.'

'I'm not discouraging you, Starsky. Quite the opposite. I think the faster we find him, the better. His family agrees with me. They've been putting some pressure on various Inter-world governments, to help in his rescue. They're Travelling to our world for Samhain, and they're bringing their own small army of Demon Hunters.'

'I don't know about that, Dobey. I don't think Hutch would like being treated like a political prisoner.'

'Well, isn't he one? According to your informant...'

'... who might have been lying,' Starsky interjected.

'Granted, but he's all we have. According to your informant, who might have been lying, Hutch was kidnapped by the Demon Council, and sent to that world, for purposes of their own. We have the right to rescue him. The rescue may take more force than you can mount yourself.'

'Fair enough. But not only am I going along on this rescue, I'm in charge. I'm leading. Sometimes too much force can be worse than too little. Innocents can be killed by so-called friendly fire. I won't allow Hutch to be one of them. Especially if he's helpless because of these treatments. Hellfire! What sort of primitive world did they sentence him to? Look at some of these stories.'

'I've looked. I read them. Most of them, at least. I couldn't read them all. But let's not dwell on it, Starsky. Let's plan. I still think Samhain is our best bet. If Hutch makes it safely through on his own, that's good. If not, we invade that world during Samhain, if the Gate opens.'

'The Gate will open, Dobey. There's no if about it. The Gate must open. I need it to open. It Damned well will open.'

Captain Dobey regarded the blank wall with some sympathy. If it didn't open on Samhain, Starsky would tear it down with his bare hands in revenge. And what if it did open, but on the wrong world? That possibility didn't bear thinking about, and Dobey decided to put it out of his mind. The result would likely be an Inter-world war, that might last for centuries. No, the best thing was to plan, and hope, and pray. Pray a lot. Dobey had become rather proficient at prayer, over his years supervising Starsky and Hutch.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Please, Ken,' the nurse whispered. 'Just get up on the table quietly. It will be easier on us all.'

'And I should make it easier on you, when you're going to destroy my mind? You don't want much, do you?'

'We're not trying to hurt you, Ken. We're trying to help you.'

'My name is Detective Hutchinson. I've arrested murderers and rapists who had a finer concept of morality than you have.'

The nurse sighed. She walked out of the room, and a few moments later, two burly orderlies burst through the door. It took a while, but eventually Hutch was tied down on the table, and a technician was applying the electrodes to his head.

Dr. Warring entered the room. 'Well, well. I see we're ready. That wasn't so bad, was it, Ken?'

Hutch ignored him. He had known this moment was coming for several days. From now on, his memories would begin to fade. There were some memories he decided he could afford to lose. His family, his childhood, his years at university, his marriage to Vanessa, his years as a police officer. All could be given up so easily. But those few days and nights with Starsky were something else. Somehow, he must hold to them. Would it be best to bury them deeply during the shocks, or keep them in the forefront of his mind? He had been unable to decide, and there was no one he could safely ask.

'Dr. Warring?' asked the technician. 'Shouldn't the patient be given an anaesthetic, and an anti-convulsant?'

'No. I think the treatment works better without them,' said the doctor. 'Let us begin.'

Hutch drew a deep breath. A terrible pain hit his right temple. He could feel his muscles begin to seize up. A white fire flashed before his eyes....

******

.... the sun being too bright, he drew the curtains.

'That's better, my dear,' said his Lady Mother. 'Now, come sit beside me.'

'I will sit beside you, Mother, but I will not change my mind. I do not wish to marry. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.'

'But my darling,' his mother answered. 'The Lady Vanessa is such a peerless match. And thou wilt be her First Husband.'

'I do not like the Lady Vanessa, peerless match or not. And as for being her First Husband, I would also be her only husband, for a time. I care not for that. No other man to share my wife's bed, and the duties of a husband, until she is able to find another mate?'

'Some men would find such a prospect enticing,' his mother remarked.

'I am not one of them.'

'Then I will choose for thee an older Lady. One with several husbands. Young, pretty men, who will be eager to sport in thy bed, as well as in thy Lady Wife's.'

He took her hand, and smiled into her eyes. 'Mother, I would like that much better. But first, let me enjoy my freedom a little longer. I would Travel, and see other worlds. I would learn to be a Demon Hunter. You know that has always been my dream.'

'I know,' sighed his Lady Mother. 'I had hoped to wean thee from such dreams. But I do know when I am defeated.'

He laughed. 'You know no such thing, Mother. You are never defeated. You are a most valiant Lady. You are the one who is peerless.'

'Flatterer!' His Lady Mother laughed. 'Begone from my sight, Sirrah! But kiss me first.'

He kissed her soft cheek, and knelt at her feet for her blessing. 'I will Travel,' he told her. 'I will kill many demons, and return a conquering hero. You will find me the perfect Lady Wife, with many pretty husbands before me. I will give you grandchildren. Well, some of them will be mine.'

His Lady Mother laughed again, and patted his cheek. 'I believe all thou hast said,' she told him. 'And I would hope that some comes true.'

He walked out, into the bright sunlight. And the sweet birds sang....

******

He opened his eyes. He was alone, no longer tied to the table, but strapped into a hospital bed to recover. How convenient, he thought. How kind of them. The room was dim, and quiet. There was a carafe of water beside his bed. It was too bad that his restraints prevented him from reaching it. Or, it would have been too bad for anyone else but a Traveller.

His bonds slipped loose, obedient to his command. He sat up, and reached for the water. His throat was raw, probably from screaming in pain, but that was an unimportant detail.

I know who I am, he thought, which is all what matters.

Hutch slid out of bed, and tiptoed to the door. There was a small window, so that passing doctors and nurses -- and those who were more honest about their proclivities and called themselves torturers -- could check on their victims without going to the trouble of entering the room. A quick glance outside showed him that no guard had been set. Where was the need? He was supposed to be helpless. Someone might pass by and decide to look in, however. He found blankets, and arranged them under the bed covers, to look like a sleeping man.

His prison garb was piled on a chair, but they would be of no use. The stripes would identify him as an escaped prisoner. He couldn't walk out the door in his hospital gown, even if it didn't gape open down the back. Something must be contrived.

There were shelves along the wall, containing bottles of pills, bandages, various medical instruments. Hutch studied them intently, remembering his courses in first aid. What helps in one instance, might hurt in another, he thought. He picked up one or two bottles containing clear liquid, and read the labels. Most of the names meant nothing to him, but one caught his eye. Chloroform? How primitive. How useful. He poured some onto a towel, and went to the window again. Several doctors and other hospital personnel walked by the door without a glance. He wondered how long he'd been sleeping in that room, and when the prison guards would show up to escort him back to his cell.

A doctor appeared, across the hall. Tall, and blond. He didn't really look like Hutch, but the resemblance was such, that if Hutch were to don his clothing, no one would give him a second glance. What would attract his attention? There wasn't much time, and he didn't need a room full of attentive medical staff.

Hutch reached for his demon-killing knife, and grasped the blade. His blood ran down the knife toward the spirals on the hilt. He sang, and crimson light filled the room, spilling under the door, into the hallway.

'What? What's going on?' the doctor muttered to himself. The man looked around the hall, but no one else was near. He hesitated for a moment, thinking of going for help, but curiosity won out. That, and the desire to not look like a fool if the light were to prove merely his own imagination, or to have a reasonable explanation. He strode toward the recovery room door, and pushed inside.

Hutch was waiting with the chloroform. The doctor's struggles lasted only a moment, and Hutch steered him to the bed, before he could pass out on the floor.

'My thanks for all of thine estimable assistance,' Hutch told him. 'Thy pardon for my doubts upon the matter. Truly I did believe none of you intended me anything but harm. I require the loan of thy garments, and I will be off. I'll mail them to thee from the next world. Oh, and of a surety I shall need thy wallet. Now we're all set, as Starsky would say.'

Hutch stood back, and regarded his naked captive. This simply will not do, he thought. The poor man will be cold. He picked up his discarded hospital gown. It was easy to dress the man in it, since it was open down the back. Next, he removed his hospital bracelet, and attached it to the doctor's wrist. He tucked the blankets in place, and looked around the room. All was now as it should be.

'It might take thee some time to convince everyone thou art not me,' he told the doctor. 'Look upon the next few days as a learning experience. Mayhap they'll give thee shock therapy, and thou wilt begin to believe thou art me. Stranger things have happened. Fare thee well.'

No one noticed a white coated doctor striding confidently out of the hospital, and into the crowded streets.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

It was too bad, thought Starsky, that germ warfare was immoral, and therefore not appropriate for a Demon Hunter. He rubbed his aching eyes, and looked away from the computer screen, to rest them on the blank wall that hid the Gate. He knew every crack and cranny in it, by this time. He wondered, at odd moments, how he would feel about it when all this was over, and Hutch was safe at home. Would he look upon it with fondness? Wish to move sections of it into their bedroom? Or would he hate it? Take a crowbar to it, and use if for road fill?

It was a prickling behind his eyes, rather than any noticeable change in the wall that alerted him. The Gate was coming alive. He stood up, and approached the wall cautiously. The Gate could open suddenly, and it might not be Hutch that emerged from its depths. It could be an army of demons. He drew his knives, just in case.

The Gate did not open, but an awareness grew in his mind. Hutch was awake. Truly awake. The Traveller was back, in full force.

Not for the first time, Starsky wished he was telepathic, and could speak with Hutch, mind to mind, across any barrier. Telepaths had informed him that telepathy was no gift, but a curse. Being able to read other minds was a torment, they said. They knew nothing of torment, thought Starsky.

Starsky had been aware of Hutch's existence, in a cloudy sort of way, long before they ever met. Their bond was deep, and murky, he thought. Powerful, and confused. They loved each other, almost from the moment they met. They were destined to be together, and misunderstand each other, and fight endlessly -- almost as endlessly as they made love. They were destined always to feel the other at the edge of their consciousness, like a nagging toothache. How much more of a torment could it be, to be able to read each other's minds clearly? Perhaps if he could read Hutch's mind, he'd understand it. Perhaps.

He rested his hand against the wall, and tried hard to think across the veil that divided them. Hutch, he thought. Open the Gate and come home.

The Gate slammed shut again. Locked.

'Son of a bitch! What the Hell are you doing?' Starsky pounded on the brick wall, uselessly. 'Open the Gate, you idiot,' he screamed. 'Keep me waiting much longer, and I'll beat the stuffing out of you, when I do get you back.'

'Maybe that's why he doesn't open the Gate,' a dry voice commented. 'He's probably afraid to come home.'

Starsky turned, and stared at Huggy. 'When did you get here?' he asked.

'A few minutes ago. Just in time to witness your latest display of childish temper.'

'Did you bump your head recently, Huggy?' Starsky asked. 'Perhaps you should have a bioscan. You've lost your mind, if you think Hutch is afraid of me. Hutch! Of me? Go see a doctor.'

'I was joking, Starsk. You've lost your sense of humour.'

'This isn't funny, Hugs.' Starsky waved at the wall. 'He's there. Just on the other side of the Gate. And he won't come home. Why, Huggy? What's wrong? It's not because he doesn't know how to open it. I felt him wake up. He knows who he is, and who I am, and where I am, and how to find me. So why is he still there?'

'He has his reasons, Starsky.'

'Of course he has his reasons. But what the Hell are they? Not revenge. He'd never waste time on that.'

'Perhaps he's protecting someone? Someone in trouble?'

Starsky felt cold fear trickle down his spine. Yes, he thought. That made sense. That was his Hutch. That spelled Trouble. With a capital T.

'Huggy?'

'Yeah, man?'

'Why did you have to show up just now? I could have done without your take on the situation.'

'I know, Starsk. But you have to face it. If he thinks someone needs his help, he'll stay there and give it.'

'I'm gonna have to go after him. Damn! Why are you here, anyway?'

'Huh? Oh, just come to fill you in, since you're not answering the phone much. Spending all your time staring at the wall, Dobey tells me. Your Mother-in-Law is coming tomorrow. Wants you to meet her.'

'Forget it. I'm staying here. Just in case.'

'Knew you'd say that. Her Ladyship won't be pleased.'

'So what? She doesn't have any power here. Not over me, not over Hutch.'

'She's his mother, Starsk. Of course she has power. And she's bringing most of her family. Hutch's brothers and sisters. Nieces and nephews. Fathers.'

'Fathers? Her husbands? How many of them?'

'I'm not sure. How many she got, again?'

'I lost count some time ago. God in Heaven! I don't care, Huggy. If she wants to see me, she can come here.'

'I'll pass the message on, Starsk. Then take off for safer climes.'

'She can't actually execute you, Huggy. She has no power here, I keep telling you.'

'For some reason, that doesn't comfort me. Don't say I didn't warn you, Starsk.'

'Thanks, Hugs. You're a real pal.'

'I know. I even visit you in this rat-infested dump.'

'Not rat-infested now, Hugs. Let me introduce you to Push and Pull....'

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

'Be quiet!' Hutch thought at his importunate lover. It was a useless exercise, that he knew. Yet, he could not blame Starsky for wanting him to come home. Hutch wanted to be home, wrapped around Starsky's warm, tender body. Buried in him. Listening to his heartbeat, and his breathing.

Be quiet thineself, Hutchinson, he thought. All in the fullness of time shalt thy desires be fulfilled.

Starsky had a simple formula for what he wanted. He wanted something, so he should have it. Now. Not that Starsky was a simple man. Far from it. But he operated on simple principles, when it came to things such as sex, and food. It must have something to do with his upbringing.

And yet, so many men were that simple. Even scientists, whom one would think should know better, believed they could reduce the universe to a few basic principles. Some did in fact know better. Feynman said, "Physicists like to think that all you have to do is say, these are the conditions, now what happens next?" How like unto my Starsky.

The universe was as much about chaos, as it was about order. Travellers learnt that early in life. One can predict nothing, count on nothing, bet on nothing. "Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not circles, and bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in a straight line," as Mandelbrot once said.

One cannot step in the same river twice, thought Hutch. If I return home, will it truly be my home? Will Starsky and I be the same men? No. Thus, there is no point in rushing home, as if home were waiting for me, as it was when I departed, is now, and forever shall be. Home is not waiting. Home has moved on. The river has flowed past. It is flowing even now. It will continue to flow. Have patience, my darling. I will return. I, or someone like me.

In the meantime, there are one or two things which I must needs do. I cannot walk from here, all the way to the cemetery. Someone who knows me will drive by and spot me. That is chaos theory for you. I'm cold in this doctor coat. More chaos. Now, to impose a little order of my own. Ah. Just what I need. A mall. A store that sells clothing. How nice of the doctor to carry enough money to purchase a jacket and a cap. I can speak the local dialect, so I won't draw attention to myself, with my thees and my thous.

Thou didst laugh at me, when first thou didst meet me. Thou didst try to change me, and to make me like unto every other man that thou hadst ever known. But then, thou camst to see me as I truly was. Thou lovest me for myself, now. Have patience. I will return to thee. Or someone very similar, but changed somewhat, like unto the river that flowest past, and is ever different. Thou canst not hold me, Starsky. Thou canst not call me to thee, and expect me to come to thee, like a child.

First, I must find a friend of ours. Huggy Bear. Dobey said he was missing. No one has seen him for days, said Dobey. That worries me. Mysteries worry me.

Thou wilt see me when I have solved this mystery to my own satisfaction.

Art thou listening?

 

**********************

 

He slipped silently through the alley door and up the back stairs. Memories awoke in him. Memories of that last night with Starsky. They had done this very thing, to avoid the cops waiting in the street outside. Dobey had been waiting inside, instead.

He put his hand on the doorknob, and twisted. The lock held for a moment, then gave way to its master. He opened the door, and stepped into the apartment.

It was strange, Hutch thought. This had been his home for years, and yet it was not his home. It had never been his home. All that had been a dream. Someone else's dream -- or someone else's nightmare.

No one was waiting, sitting in his chair, like a spider taking over another spider's web. But someone has been sleeping in my bed, he thought, with a smile. If I had any porridge, he would have been eating it all up. No matter, since he isn't here at the moment.

He tore off his borrowed clothes, and threw them in the garbage. It was good to shower in privacy, in his own bathroom. To shave with his own razor. Someone had changed the blade, since Starsky ruined it, shaving his own beard. Strange how everything led back to Starsky.

He stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. Yes, he thought. This is what living without Starsky does to you. You need to eat, and get some rest, before you can deal with missing friends, and Gates to other worlds. The last decent meal you ate, was the steak Starsky cooked for you. Since then, all you've had is prison food, and hospital food. Both terms are misnomers. Contradictions in terms.

He turned on the coffee maker, and opened the can of soup he'd bought on his way home. It wasn't much, but it was hot. He left the dishes sitting in the sink. He found his favourite jeans, a shirt, and a dark blue sweater. His oldest, most comfortable pair of boots. His black leather jacket. All these things he put ready to hand, so he could get dressed at a moment's notice. Then, he crawled into bed.

Starsky had lain here with him. He had forgotten his true self, and Starsky had tried so tenderly to arouse his memories, to reassure him with his body, and his mouth. Kisses, and sweet words, and fierce embraces. Hutch had wondered over the years, if their love was real, if it could endure anything. Now he knew for certain. Starsky was the truest lover who had ever lived. He was safe, held in Starsky's heart.

He closed his eyes, and let himself drift off, wrapped in the memory of Starsky's arms.

 

***********

 

The soft snick of a lock being opened with a key, awoke him. He slipped out of bed, and pulled on his jeans. He reached for his knife, and opened the bedroom door. Someone tall, and dark, and entirely human moved across his living room floor. Not Dobey. Too slender. His star border, then.

He let fly with the knife, and it shuddered into the wall beside his intruder's head. A soft gasp. Hutch turned on the light.

'Who's there?' whispered Huggy Bear.

'It's a good idea to know that before thou goest into someone else's apartment,' said Hutch. He called his knife back to his hand. 'Don't move,' he ordered.

'Hutch?' asked Huggy.

'In a sense,' Hutch told him. 'I said, don't move.'

His knife thudded again and again into the wall. Up from Huggy's feet, around his shoulders, over his head, and down. An outline of Huggy Bear, drawn in pock marks.

'Turn around,' said Hutch, at last. 'Take a look.'

Huggy turned. Hutch sent the knife flying one last time, to rest beside Huggy's hand, briefly. Then, he called it back to his own hand, once more.

'You're not Hutch,' said Huggy.

'I am indeed,' Hutch told him. 'But a Hutch of a different world. Thine own Hutch died. They replaced him with me.'

'They?'

'The Demon Council. They decided I needed punishing. They accomplished their task. They shall regret their actions.'

'The... the Demon Council? You're saying it exists? They were right?'

'They?' asked Hutch softly, in his turn. 'Of which they are we now speaking?'

'The cops who contacted me. They told me they wanted to break you out of jail.'

'Did they? Well, they're too late, fortunately for me. I escaped on my own, and I am returning to my own world soon. But I was worried about thee. Dobey told me thou had disappeared.'

'Yes. The cops wanted me to help them break you out, and I wasn't sure what to do. They said they only wanted to talk to you.'

'I'll warrant they do. I talk to demons with this.' He showed Huggy his knife.

'That's just it, Hutch. They told me they were no longer really demons. That they were becoming human, and they wanted to stay that way. They want you to help them.'

'Help them? Help demons? To do what?'

'To stop the invasion of the Demon Council. That's what they told me. I thought they were all insane.'

'Thou wert right,' said Hutch. 'They are insane, if they think I shall help them. Let them handle the Demon Council on their own.'

Huggy looked at him for a moment. 'I guess I was wrong,' he said, shaking his head mournfully. 'When I thought you were Hutch. You're someone else. Someone I don't know.'

Hutch sighed. 'Thou wantest me to help demons?' he asked.

'I don't know anything about demons,' said Huggy. 'But these demons seemed concerned about you, and they wanted to help you. Can't you think about helping them?'

'I'll think about it,' said Hutch. 'Let us make some coffee, and talk.'

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

'Nuclear weapons are out, as well,' Starsky muttered to himself. 'Hutch would say they harmed the environment.'

A knock disturbed his dark reflections. He turned toward the open warehouse door. The man in the doorway bowed. 'May I enter?' he asked.

Starsky smiled. 'If thou pleasest,' he said.

'Thank you,' said the man, politely.

One of Hutch's fathers, thought Starsky. Indeed, his Eldest Father, if Starsky's memory was in order.

'Are you well?' asked the Elder Father.

'Very well, thank thee,' said Starsky.

'You looked unhappy, when I entered,' the Elder Father observed.

'I am thinking of ways to punish these people.' Starsky waved his hand at the computer. 'Dost thou know much about them?'

'My Lady Wife informs me that they are cruel, and have my son in bondage. We should kill them all.'

'That about sums it up for me, too.'

'Then what is the problem, if I might ask?'

'Hutch,' said Starsky. 'Hutch would object, if I killed them all.'

'Is it for your husband to object any decision of yours?'

Starsky smiled, wryly. 'This is a difficult concept, I know,' he said. 'But Hutch is my partner, and my lover. We are equals. I am not his Lady Wife. He is a Traveller, and I couldn't enforce my will on his, even if I wanted to. He'd be very unhappy if I tried. I don't want Hutch to be unhappy.'

'No. Of course not,' said the Elder Father, though he sounded uncertain. 'My son tried to explain your culture to me, and your marriage, but it is complicated.'

'Yes,' said Starsky. 'It is. Hutch is everything to me. I'm only happy, if he's happy. If he's unhappy, I'm miserable.'

The Elder Father nodded. 'If you had more husbands, your life would be easier,' he offered.

Starsky laughed. 'Dost think so? One husband is enough, in my opinion. But why did thy Lady Wife send thee to me?' he asked. It was clear the Elder Father would never raise the subject on his own. That would be a breach of etiquette, Starsky remembered.

The Elder Father bowed. 'My Lady Wife was disappointed that you did not greet her arrival,' he said.

'My home is here,' said Starsky, firmly. 'Hutch might find his way through the Gate at any time, day or night. I must be here to greet him. To care for him if he's hurt. I would like to greet thy Lady Wife, but she must come here. To my home.'

The Elder Father paled at his words. Starsky knew what he had just implied, but didn't care. He might find himself at war with Hutch's Lady Mother, and his homelife would be unpleasant, once Hutch learned of it. But Hutch would take his side, publicly. He smiled at the thought of Hutch and his mother lobbing grenades at each other.

'If thou preferest, I could send an email to thy Lady Wife. Save thee the trouble of informing her thyself?'

The Elder Father shook his head, though he looked a little regretful. 'No, thank you,' he said. 'I will tell my Lady.'

'Thou dost not think she'll kill the messenger?' asked Starsky.

'Kill me? Certainly not! I'm still young enough to father children.'

'That's good,' said Starsky. 'Dost thou know what thy Lady Wife plans to do? About rescuing Hutch, I mean.'

'She has shared some of her intentions with me. I believe she means to launch a rescue mission herself.'

'She may do that,' said Starsky. 'But I will lead it. If thou wishest, thou might inform her of that, as well.'

The Elder Father grew even paler. 'I will do so,' he said. 'Might I be dismissed, so that I might talk with my Lady Wife as soon as possible?'

'Yes,' said Starsky. 'Thou art dismissed.' He waved his hand vaguely, and nodded as the Elder Father bowed and walked away, a bit shakily.

As soon as the man left, he went to check his arsenal of weapons, and called Huggy Bear. If he was about to be at war with Hutch's family, he would need reinforcements.

 

******************

'We're with you, man,' said Huggy Bear. 'Right behind you, all the way.'

'The operative word being behind,' Captain Dobey added.

'Yeah,' said Huggy. 'Right behind you. Unless something heavy starts going down.'

'And then you're leaving, right?' asked Starsky.

'Right,' said Dobey.

'I knew I could count on you,' Starsky said.

'Well, what do you expect?' asked Huggy. 'We're talking about Hutch's mommy, here. Hutch. His mommy. You see? It's like all those old monster movies. There's a monster, eating people, tearing through the buildings like they were clay models -- 'cause they were -- and they send in the army, and shoot at it, but that just makes it madder, and it tears down more clay buildings, and eats more people, and they shoot it some more, and just when things look bad, they get even badder. Because the monster is a baby, who ran away from home, and now its mommy shows up to look for it.'

'And the mommy spanks it, and picks it up by the scruff of its neck, and they go home, and live happily ever after,' said Starsky.

'I wish she would,' said Huggy.

'I don't,' said Starsky.

'Of course you don't. Hutch is a pussy cat with you. You pet him, and feed him, and tickle him. He purrs. Other people show up, and that's when he shows his claws. And his teeth. And that Damned knife.'

'I like his knife,' said Starsky. 'It's long.'

'I'm not commenting on that line,' said Huggy. 'We're getting away from the subject here. Hutch's mommy. She has claws, and teeth … and a knife. Can you get her to purr?'

'I don't want to make her purr. That would be incest.'

'I don't think it would bother her,' said Dobey.

'It would bother me,' said Starsky. 'She's not my type. I'm not hers. I hope.'

A car pulled up outside the warehouse. Footsteps marched up to the door. Many footsteps.  
'Just stay seated,' said Starsky. 'Act calm, like nothing's wrong.'

'Sure, man,' said Huggy. 'I am calm. Nothing is wrong... I want my mommy.'

'Act like a man,' said Starsky.

'I am a man,' Huggy announced.

'I'm sorry to hear it,' said a voice. 'If any of you were women, I would challenge you to the death.'

'Lady Hutchinson! I am glad to see thee,' said Starsky. He rose politely, and nodded as to an equal. Huggy and Captain Dobey got to their feet quickly, bowed, then slipped into the background.

'Art thou glad?' asked Lady Hutchinson. 'Then thou mightest have made an effort to greet me properly.' She had an entire entourage of husbands, servants, children and pets with her. The pets snarled, and pulled at their leashes. 'Such an insult as thou hast offered me, on my own world would be wiped out with gallons of blood, and many heads, and ropes of entrails decorating my doorposts.'

Starsky smiled. 'Dost thou see the wall?' he asked, waving his hand to indicate it. 'My husband waits on the other side. He needs me. That is more important than etiquette. If thou wishest to remove my head, thou art welcome to try. But let us rescue Hutch first. My head might be more useful on my shoulders for that.'

'Thou art right,' said Lady Hutchinson. 'Even if thou art a man. I have decided to forgive thee, and let thee keep thy head. For now. We will talk about this again later.' She strolled up to the wall. 'Thou sayest my son is beyond?'

'Yes. There is a Gate, but it's locked. Several Travellers have tried to open it.'

Hutch's Lady Mother snorted in derision. She muttered something about Travellers who couldn't find their way across the street. She called her knife to her hand. Then, she began the commands and entreaties that opened a Gate.

Starsky watched calmly, as she tried, again and again. He watched her fling her knife in frustration, when she admitted defeat at last. Hutch's mommy liked defeat no more than did her son.

'Why is the Gate locked?' she asked Starsky.

'We know as much as thou knowest,' said Starsky. 'But I think Hutch has locked it.'

'Why would he do that?' asked the Lady, reasonably.

'I think he wants to protect me. If I went back to that world, they'd arrest me.'

'Arrest thee? For what, pray tell?'

'For making love with thy son,' said Starsky.

Lady Hutchinson was silent for a moment. Then she laughed. 'Thou dost jest with me,' she said. 'Do the police in that world have nothing better to do with their time?'

'I don't jest. They did arrest me, and Hutch, for making love. They called it sodomy. Some of the police officers were going to beat us to death for it.'

Lady Hutchinson turned to her entourage. 'Eldest Husband!' she said.

'My Lady Wife?' asked her husband, respectfully. 'What is your wish?'

'Send a message home. We need more troops here, if we're going to invade a world of lunatics, as this one obviously is. Who knows what they will do.'

Her husband bowed. 'If you wish it, my Lady,' he said. 'But is it safe, to leave our own lands so unguarded?'

'That is a valid point,' said Lady Hutchinson. 'I will hire mercenaries, not deplete my own garrison. Samhain is in three days, is it not, David?' she asked.

'Three days,' said Starsky. 'The Gate should open then. I've never known a Gate on this world that did not.'

'Let us hope thou art right, David. Order the employment of mercenaries,' she told her husband.   
'Have them join us here by tomorrow at the latest. Now, David. What shall we talk about, if I am not to remove thy head?'

'Sit down, Lady Hutchinson. Join my friends and me for a beer. There's a football match on TV.'

'Men? Knocking each other down? That sounds interesting. And let's have more than one beer. Younger husband! Go buy more beer. Then you may join us. All of you.'

'Thank you, Lady Wife.'

 

**********************

'Thou didst call me a dominatrix once, David. Is not that so?'

'Ah... yes, Lady Mother. But I meant it in a light-hearted way.'

'I see,' said Lady Hutchinson. She seemed to mull over Starsky's use of the term Lady Mother, which he had never ventured before. Then, she nodded, and accepted it. 'My son explained the meaning of the term. It sounded rather amusing. Black leather. Chains and whips. If I tried that at home, on my husbands, I would be declared insane. Another Lady would challenge me for the right to rule my family. My head and entrails would end up draped over her doorposts.'

'Not a wise career move,' Starsky noted.

'No. And by calling me a dominatrix, thou makest me to sound like unto a tyrant. I do not wish to dominate people -- my own family -- for my pleasure. I rule my family. I control it, so that we work together for a common purpose. We have power, wealth, position. We own lands. We send representatives to Parliament. I am one of the advisors of the Queen. I take pleasure in all these things, but they are not simply for my own glory.'

'I know this, Lady Mother. I admire thee. Thou art beautiful, and brave, and strong. And thy son takes after thee.'

'He does,' said Hutch's mother. She sighed. 'I envisioned a different life for him. Such a beautiful baby. I wanted to see his children. To watch them lead our family into the future.'

'And he met me, and those hopes were destroyed. I am sorry, Lady Mother.'

'Ah, no. David. Thou hast no need to apologize. Even as my son grew, I could see he would never stay in our world. That I could never hold him, and keep him. That he could never subsume his own being into any family, or obey the commands of any Lady Wife. He was born a Traveller. I hoped he would grow out of it, but at last I let him fly away. And he found thee, and a place he could nest in. Thou hast made him happy, and thy love and care for him is apparent.'

'It wasn't enough,' said Starsky. 'The Demon Council took him from me. From us.'

'But thou did'st find him again. We know where he is. We will go there and take him back.'

'Yes,' said Starsky. 'We will. It must be a joint effort.'

'Under thy command, my husband tells me. You insist on this?'

'Well, under my leadership, at least. Hutch is my husband. If it were thine husband we were rescuing, would not thou insist on being in charge?'

Lady Hutchinson smiled. 'Thou art right once more, David Starsky. I suppose it is difficult for me to take thy place in my son's life seriously, at times.'

'Because I own no lands, nor have I taken more husbands, or wives. And Hutch and I have no children. All this is true. We own nothing. We have no wealth, or power. Hutch is happy this way. Wealth and power would make him miserable.'

'I was like that, once,' said Lady Hutchinson. 'I was a Traveller. An active one, I mean. I Travelled. I hunted demons. I made a name for myself. When thus I began, I scorned all wealth, and power. I said that lands would tie me down. Then, one night I had a dream. I dreamt of my own lands, and a family. I dreamt of many children. And I saw Ken in my dream. A beautiful son. A son who had the heart of a Traveller, and a Demon Hunter. I had to make that dream come true. And I have. Now, I must accept it. Ken is that son. If he never gives me grandchildren, still I will love him, and accept him for what he is. The beautiful son in my dreams.'

Starsky took Lady Hutchinson's hand, and kissed it. 'Hutch told me that he dreamt of me,' he said. 'I dreamt of him. When we met, we knew each other. Hutch said, it was fate. Destiny. We were meant to be.'

'I cannot argue with fate, or destiny, or the power of dreams. Thou shalt lead our troops into battle. But I shall be at thy side.'

'We will fight together. One family. Hutch's family.'

'Yes,' said Hutch's Lady Mother. 'One family. It must have been fated, to be so.'

Starsky saw Huggy grin at him, over Lady Hutchinson's head, and raise his thumb in victory. Okay, thought Starsky. We aren't at war after all. I've made Hutch's mommy purr.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

'Wow! You grew up in a world ruled by women? I'm starting to believe in the demons, and that Starsky is alive. How could you make this stuff up?'

'I'm not sure if the term 'ruled by women' is the correct one, Huggy. It creates the wrong impression.'

'If you say so, Hutch.'

'I do say so. My world -- the world where I was born I mean, for I no longer live there -- is feudal. The women own the lands. They control most of the wealth. They fight for dominance, sometimes quite literally. The women with the most lands, the most wealth, and husbands, and children, are the most dominant. The greatest of them is the Queen. My mother is one of her advisors. If she became even more powerful, she could challenge the Queen, and take her place. It is the feudal system that rules my world. Most women don't have that much power, on their own.'

'I see. And the men?'

'Are not slaves. We are subordinate to our wives. Our political status comes from them. But we have our rights. Most of us are happy with our lives.'

'You left that world,' Huggy pointed out.

'I'm a Traveller. I wanted to see the universe. I wanted to hunt demons, and make a name for myself. I think I wanted to challenge the power structure of my world, just a little. To show that men could have power, too. Mayhap expand on the rights of men. Not in any radical fashion. Merely to change the way my people think about men and our abilities.'

'What changed your mind?'

'What makest thee to think something did?' asked Hutch.

'You say you don't live there. I suppose you never went home?'

'I met Starsky. My concerns about liberating the men of my world lost vastly in importance, compared to that. Mayhap that was a mistake, and one that I should do my best to rectify. I have grown too settled, and domesticated. And look thee what has happened.'

'Demons?'

'Aye. Demons. They won out against me, because I have grown too soft, and domesticated.'

'Hutch? Soft and domesticated is not the word I would use to describe you, just looking at you, sitting there. Must you play with that knife?'

Hutch sent his knife whizzing past Huggy's ear, to bounce off the wall, and back into his hand. 'I am feeling somewhat tense,' he said, unnecessarily. 'Something is in the air. Something too big for me to handle alone. I should not be sitting here with thee. I should be on my way home, across the Gate. I need to speak with Starsky -- Starsky!' Hutch jumped to his feet, and began to pace the kitchen. 'He's planning something, that I know. He hasn't been sitting idle. Goddess! What is he planning? It could be anything, up to and including a full scale invasion.'

'Invasion? Invasion of what?' asked Huggy Bear.

'Invasion of this world, thou logger-headed, fool-born clotpole. Damnation!'

'Should I be insulted by what you just called me?'

'Be my guest, if it makest thee feel better. Thou shalt have more problems than insults soon enough. War between this world and mine own, for a start. And what if he haulest my family into it? My Lady Mother is a Chief Advisor to the Queen. The Queen might decide that an insult to her friend, is an insult to her. If my Lady Mother mounts an invasion, the Queen might see that as a challenge to her power and authority. She might involve my home world, to show she is no slouch herself, when it comes to war.'

'Hutch? Hutch? You don't know that any of these things are really happening,' Huggy protested.

'By all the Lords of Hell, I don't! You have never met my mother. The last time I checked, she had twelve husbands, who kiss her feet in adoration. Several of them, she won in battle against Ladies considered more powerful than herself. The Queen should look to the safety of her throne, and the possession of her head and entrails.'

'Her what?' Huggy looked alarmed, but not alarmed enough, thought Hutch. Never mind. There was no time to fully enlighten him.

'We should be off,' he said to Huggy. 'I will take thee to my world. Thou wilt be safe enough there, if I cannot persuade my Lady Mother to halt the invasion. Starsky I can persuade, with my fists if necessary. My Lady Mother is something else entirely. Mayhap she will be satisfied with my safe return, but it is best not to count on that. Much the best.' Hutch was pulling on his leather jacket, as he spoke. 'Thou hast a car?' he asked. 'Huggy? Huggy! Wake up! We must needs be off.'

'Hutch? I'm not sure I want to go with you. Such a strange new world....'

'With such people in it? Trust me. I am a Traveller. I will get thee there safely, and send thee home again, as well, if we stop the invasion. We'd have a better chance of that together. Show my people that there are innocents in your world, who do not deserve to die. I imagine they have demonized the lot of you.'

'Demonized! Yes. What about the demons? They need your help.'

'Forget that for now,' said Hutch. 'This is more important than some minor squabble among demons.'

'I'm not sure....' Huggy began. But Hutch grew alert, of a sudden.

'Hush thou!' he said softly. 'Someone is coming up the stairs.'

'I can hear,' said Huggy.

'Yes, he's not being stealthy, is he?' asked Hutch. He reached for a kitchen knife. 'Take this,' he said. 'Better than nothing, in a fight. Stay behind the kitchen door though, until I call thee.'

The lock on his door was being unlocked once again. How many people had keys, he wondered? The door opened, and a tall, dark man entered. He shut the door behind him. Hutch had him down, on the floor, his knife at his throat, before the man could draw a breath.

'Dobey,' he snarled. 'Give me one good reason why I should not slit thy throat.'

'Hutch?' gasped Dobey.

'The very same,' said Hutch. 'And thou art a filthy traitor, as I told thee before. Shall I describe to thee the penalty for such treachery in my own world? Do not say to me, one more time, that thou wert only trying to help me, or I will cut out thy lying tongue, and then feed it back to thee.'

'I'm sorry, Hutch. I'm sorry if what I did hurt you. But....'

'But? There is no but, Dobey. Nor is there an if. Shall I describe to thee what those police officers did to me, when thou did'st arrest me? When thou did'st shoot me in the back, and leave me helpless? At their mercy? But they had none.'

'They told me they treated you well. I made them promise.'

'Well? You call shoving their batons up my arse treating me well? And they came to my cell and beat me, every night. But that was not the worst. The worst was thee, telling me it was for my own good. No one treats me like that. No one, dost thou hear me?'

'I hear you, Hutch,' Dobey managed to gasp.

'Then if thou hearest me, what dost thou have to say for thyself? Art thou a traitor, or no?'

'Yes. I am a traitor. I deserve to die. I didn't know what I was doing. I am sorry.'

Hutch eased back, a little. 'Huggy!' he called, softly. 'Find something with which I might tie Dobey up. Also, something with which to gag him.'

'You got it, man,' said Huggy.

'What are you doing, Hutch?' Dobey whispered.

'That is my business, not thine. Thou did'st lose any claim on my loyalty, long ago. But I cannot kill thee, in cold blood. Doubtless, that is a fault in me. But thou shalt benefit from that fault, so thou should'st not complain.'

Huggy came out, with an assortment of belts and ties. Hutch hauled Dobey to his feet, and soon had him tied to a chair. 'How does it feel?' he asked. 'How does it feel to be helpless, to be at someone's mercy? To not know what will happen to thee? Tell me, Dobey.'

'Does it make you feel better to get back at me like this?' asked Dobey.

'No, it does not. And that is not why I'm doing this. I have a reason, Dobey. I must needs return to my own world, and to my lover, to stop an invasion. Thou would'st attempt to hinder me, because of thine own prejudices. Because of thy blindness. Ah! What does it really matter what thou feelest? Doubtless thou hast learnt nothing, and never will.'

'That's not true, Hutch. I can see I hurt you, and I am sorry.'

'But thou would'st do it again. I'm not granting thee the chance. Fare thee well, Dobey. I do wish thee well, which is more than I can see thou wishest me. Come on, Huggy. If he turned up here, who can tell what's behind him?'

They started for the stairs, but they were too late. Footsteps echoed once again within the stairwell.

'Damnation!' Hutch whispered. 'I was right. There are more from whence he came. I knew we should not have lingered.' He pulled his knife, and pushed Huggy behind him.

Someone hailed him from below. 'Demon Hunter! Traveller! All we wish to do, is treat with thee. Might one of us be given safe passage?'

'Why should I seek speech with any of you?' asked Hutch. 'Why should I trust in any of you? Why should I not simply fight my way out now, and save us all a very great deal of time and trouble?'

'Thou art a Demon Hunter,' said one of the visitors. 'Doth not thy commission cover fighting evil, and helping people? Dost thou consider us to be an exception, without even giving us a chance to state our case?'

Hutch took a deep breath, as a diver might do before a plunge into the depths of the ocean. If these people meant him harm, they would have tried to take him by surprise. Perhaps whilst he slept, only an hour before.

'Come upstairs,' he said. 'All of you. I'm not leaving anyone down there, to plot against me out of my sight. You might as well do that up here, where I can keep you under supervision.'

Several uniformed police officers, and a plain clothes detective, mounted the stairs, slowly and cautiously. They showed Hutch their empty hands, and eyed his knife askance. Hutch waved them into his living room.

'You all know Captain Dobey,' he said, with a smile. 'He's tied up at the moment, unfortunately.'

Dobey growled something from behind his gag, which Hutch ignored.

'Keep your backs to the door.' Hutch continued. 'If someone comes charging through, guns blazing, you'll be the first victims.'

'Thank you,' said one of the cops, with heavy irony. 'As far as we know, no one is scheduled to do so.'

'That reassures me,' said Hutch. 'And now, to what great event do I owe the honour of this visit?'

'Once we were demons,' said the cop who seemed to be the spokesman for the group.

'Once upon a time?' asked Hutch, with a raised eyebrow. 'But no more?'

'Yes. That is the case. We were sent here as punishment. Forced to assume human form on a permanent basis. Some of us have been living as humans for years. We have wives, and families, and friends, and lovers.'

'I am happy for you, and I pity them,' said Hutch. 'What do you expect me to do?'

'Help us to remain human,' said the spokesman. 'As we all wish to do.'

The other demon cops murmurred in agreement.

'I wish you no real harm,' said Hutch. 'As far as I know, you have not harmed me. I don't hold you responsible for my incarceration here, for I know who is to blame for that. I sympathize with your wish to remain human. But I vow I do not know how I can help you. I am a Demon Hunter, it is true. That does not mean I can fight the entire Demon Council single-handedly. If I could, I would have wiped them out long ago.'

One of the younger demon cops sighed. 'We don't expect miracles from you, Demon Hunter. But you are our only hope. Otherwise, we are at the mercy of the Demon Council.'

'Perhaps that is where you belong,' said Hutch.

'We were evil, once. Then, we were tempted to do good. The Council punished us by sending us here. Or so they thought. Now, we want to fight evil. Isn't that what you do? Why don't you want to help us, even in some small way?'

'I don't trust you,' said Hutch. 'I'm not sure I would be fighting evil, by helping you. What dost thou think, Captain Dobey?'

Hutch removed Dobey's gag. The Captain spat out lint, and grimaced in disgust. 'I think you're all insane,' he said. He looked at Hutch. 'I wouldn't have anything to do with them,' he said.

Hutch smiled. 'Then it's settled,' he said to the ex-demons. 'I shall help you, to the best of my ability. Do you know what it is you wish me to do? Or shall I make it up as I go along?'

'We have a plan,' said the spokesman. 'We want to lure the Demon Council here, and kill them all.'

'Though it galls me to admit it, I agree with Captain Dobey. You are all insane,' said Hutch. He strolled to the window, and pulled back the edge of the curtain, slightly. 'Are you aware that you were followed here?' he asked.

'That is likely,' said the spokesman demon. 'There are those among us, who dream of returning to demon form. They know we are not so inclined, and so they hold us in suspicion.'

'So do I,' said Hutch. 'But there are those on the Demon Council, whom I hold in abhorrence. I revile their names. I would filet them, upon this knife. Do all of you truly share my sentiments?'

'We do,' said the demons. 'We will fight with you.'

'Very well,' said Hutch. 'We have formed an alliance, though I doubt it will last for long. Make yourselves at home.' He waved his knife about the living room, indicating the sofa and the chairs. 'Stay out of my bedroom.'

'What about me?' asked Dobey.

'Ah, yes. I did forget thee,' said Hutch. He reached down, and replaced Dobey's gag. 'There!' he said. 'That is better.'

 

************************

 

'You know, Captain Dobey, this is all your own fault,' one of the ex-demon cops informed him, waving his hand to indicate the captain's bondage. 'First of all, you imprisoned a Traveller. He didn't know he was a Traveller at the time, of course. But that didn't improve his temper, when he did learn of it. How did you find out, Hutchinson? Just out of curiosity.'

'Hmm? How was it that I did I find out what?' Hutch asked.

'That you were a Traveller,' said the cop. 'You had no idea who or what you were at one moment. The next....'

'Oh, that. They did electrocute me. It works every time. Those demons out on the street are making me nervous.'

'I bet,' said the cop. 'That's another thing, Dobey. You attacked a Demon Hunter. Not a good idea, if you dream of enjoying a long and fruitful life. Then, there's the world your pal here comes from.'

'I am not his pal,' Hutch pointed out.

'I bet,' said the cop. 'The people from his world are.... they're hard to describe. They're not really human, for a start.'

'I'm human enough,' said Hutch, easily.

'Human enough for what?' asked the cop.

Hutch thought about that for a moment. 'Human enough for Starsky,' he said at last. 'That is human enough for me.'

'I bet. And there's where you made your most serious mistake, Captain Dobey. You kept Hutchinson here from joining his mate. The men from his world.... they're hard to describe.'

'If thou sayest we are not really men, I shall --'

'No, no. I wasn't going to suggest any such thing, Hutchinson. But you see, Dobey, they're fiercely loyal to their mates. Until death. No matter what. Women rule the households, and they can have a dozen husbands or more. But their husbands worship them, and remain faithful all their lives.'

'That is not quite true,' said Hutch. 'Men from my world are faithful to their wives, when it comes to other women. But sometimes, they will lie with each other.'

'But it's all in the family, right?' asked the cop.

'Yes. That is true enough,' admitted Hutch. 'Adultery -- sex outside the family bond -- is almost unheard of. And when it is... why art thou so interested?'

'You have a family bond with David Starsky,' said the cop.

'I do. It is no secret, to be sure. What is it to thee?'

'That sort of bond is a great strength,' said the cop. 'It is also a weakness.'

'I know. The Demon Council used our bond to hurt us. It nearly killed us.'

'We want to use that bond, as well,' said the cop. 'We want to use that strength. David Starsky is plotting to return to this world, to rescue you we believe.'

'Rescue me,' Hutch snorted. 'I can rescue myself.'

The ex-demon cop laughed. 'I'm sure you can, but he won't let that fact stop him. He's probably raising an army, as we speak.'

'Is this something thou knowest for certain?' asked Hutch.

'No. We have no contact with the other worlds. We are speculating, based on our previous knowledge of your mate. Do you doubt our assessment of the situation?'

'Not for a moment,' said Hutch. 'Thou dost wish Starsky and me to use his army to fight your Demon Council. Am I correct?'

'You are,' said the ex-demon.

'And then what?' asked Hutch. 'Thou and thy friends will make up the new Demon Council, when the old ones are dead?'

'Not at all. We wish to stay here, and live out our lives in quiet peace.'

'And I am going to return to my home world, and become the Thirteenth Husband of the Lady Freeholder of Aguay.'

'Who?' asked the cop.

'Never thou mindest. 'Tis an old joke. I'll go along with thy plan for reasons of my own. But don't expect me to swallow the reasons thou feedest me. I was not born yesterday. One word of warning. My Lady Mother might be part of Starsky's army. She might not stop at destroying the Demon Council. If I were thee, I would stay out of her way.'

The demon cop paled. 'Your mother?' he asked. 'She might be coming here?'

'My Lady Mother,' Hutch corrected. He leant down, and spoke into Dobey's ear. 'Thou should'st meet my Lady Mother,' he said. 'She would be thrilled to meet with thee.'

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Starsky opened his eyes -- an amazing feat of engineering. The room was blurred, like an artistic photograph. He closed his eyes, and rubbed them, then tried re-opening them. The room had not noticeably improved.

He sat up, and looked around. Captain Dobey, Huggy, the Husbands, children, cousins and pets of his lover's Lady Mother, all lay in a tumble. On the floor, on his bed, on the table. He realized that the sound he'd been hearing for some time was not the surf. That was miles away. The snores of his companions were right here. How had he slept through them? Ah, yes. The beer.

One companion was missing. The Lady Hutchinson. He got to his feet, and managed to turn around, toward the warehouse door. Hutch's Lady Mother was still among them. She was awake, and on her feet. She was also entirely naked. For a moment, Starsky wondered what she intended to do in that state, in a warehouse full of men, at dawn. Then, he remembered.

'Mornin',' he croaked, and got the expected glare in return. 'Damn! It's cold enough to freeze my balls off,' he complained.

'Miserable, snivelling coward,' said Lady Hutchinson.

'Okay,' said Starsky. 'I'll join thee. But if I have to confess to Hutch that I'm missing a vital part, I'll put the blame where it belongs.'

'Less talk. More action,' said Lady Hutchinson.

Starsky pulled off his rumpled jeans, and sweat shirt. The latter was stained with beer. Leave it to his mother-in-law -- his Lady Mother-in-law, he amended -- to decide to perform a Demon Hunter's kata, when they were both hung over. Or maybe Lady Hutchinson wasn't hung over. She looked pretty fit, for someone who had drunk them all under the table, only a few hours before.

He stood beside Lady Hutchinson, to greet the first rays of the sun, as it ventured inside the dark warehouse. They drew their knives. They began the Demon Hunter's kata. The version from Hutch's home world. Hutch's home world had a milder climate than Starsky's own, at least in the inhabited regions.

He remembered the first time he met Hutch. They were both attending a Demon Hunter's conference, on this very world. One morning, Starsky woke early. He went for a walk in the garden. Hutch was there, performing this kata. Tall, blond, and naked. The rising sun had clothed his movements in a primeval grace and dignity.

He thought perhaps he'd seen Hutch in passing, once before, on his way out from one panel discussion, and on to another. What was the discussion again? Modern Policing Methods vs Ancient Demon Hunting: Will Modern Science Discover an Alternative Weapon to the Knife? Starsky's own opinion was that it Damned well should. Later, when Hutch had learned of his point of view, they had fallen into a terrible argument.

'A machine gun? To shoot down demons? Starsky! Art thou insane? Thou might kill many an innocent bystander with such a firearm. The knife is the safest weapon, first and always. What sort of world wouldst thou have?'

'A world with fewer demons,' had been his answer.

But the ensuing fight had been as nothing, compared to the argument over Hutch's strange beliefs about chastity.

'What do you mean, we have to be contracted for a year before we can fuck?' Starsky asked.

A brilliant opening salvo, for a battle that drew neighbours out on their balconies to hear them better. That night was the first night of the longest year Starsky had ever lived through. And it was worth it, he thought.

They finished the opening movements of the kata, and faced each other to begin the mock battle. Lady Hutchinson fought with one knife, as did her son. Starsky used two. He was left handed, but often hid that fact in a fight, by using his right hand to attack, and his left for defence. When his opponent was lulled into thinking he had Starsky's fighting patterns worked out, Starsky would switch, to attack with his left.

Hutch's knife work was blindingly fast. So was his Lady Mother's.

They fought to the prescribed draw. Demon Hunters never fought each other seriously. There weren't so many of them, to risk losing one in an accident. They bowed politely, and turned away from the sun, toward the darkness of the warehouse.

Captain Dobey was awake. He applauded. 'Very good,' he said. 'Don't expect me to join you. It's cold enough to freeze my balls off.'

Starsky bent down to check. 'Mine are still here,' he announced. 'Just a little shrivelled.'

'What a relief,' said Lady Hutchinson, drily. 'I'm sure my son will be happy to see thou art all there.'

'I'm looking forward to proving it to him,' said Starsky. 'I only hope he doesn't insist on a long pilgrimage of purification, when he does get home.'

Even after ten years, Hutch still had strange ideas about chastity. But it was fun talking him out of it, thought Starsky. Even if he hadn't managed to do that, throughout their entire first year together. Men from Hutch's world seemed to be made of equal amounts of fire and ice. For the first year, Starsky became intimately acquainted with the ice.

Then came the fire.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A few sickly rays of sunlight were slinking in the window. Hutch regarded them with contempt. Was this world's Sun a White Dwarf? He rubbed his aching eyes. He needed Starsky, a good meal, and a good night's sleep in his own bed, he thought. That was the problem, not the Sun.

The Sun. It was dawn. How long had it been, since he performed the Demon Hunter's kata? Perhaps that would clear his head. Allow him to make some sense out of the jumble of impressions, and half memories, and conflicting desires, that competed for his attention. Somewhere in that tangle, was the right thread. If he could grasp hold of the end....

He got to his feet, and pushed the coffee table back. Moved a few chairs. The kata required more room, to be performed properly. No matter. Even in a shortened, simplified version, the movements had power. He pulled off his shirt, and jeans and stood naked, in the gathering light. He raised his knife, to greet the sun.

He could hear the demon cops, commenting on his actions. Even in the most intricate sequence of steps, in the most formal version of this kata, when the Demon Hunter appeared lost in the maze of give and take, advance and retreat -- even then, no Demon Hunter was unaware of his or her surroundings. Thus, he knew instantly that someone had joined him. He glanced out of the corner of his eye. One of the younger cops, a man who had not spoken before, had found a simple kitchen knife, stripped naked, and was copying his movements. Hutch continued in the kata, and the young cop followed, as if he were Hutch's student, or his apprentice.

Hutch remembered the first time he and Starsky performed this kata together.

'To join with another in this kata, is to tear open the net of isolation that binds the soul of the Demon Hunter,' Hutch had commented. 'Thus, it can lead to friendship, to comradeship, to love, to kinship, and finally, to mating.'

'That is what I want,' said Starsky. 'Especially that last part. Mating sounds good.'

'Thou art importunate. It must needs happen in the fullness of time.'

'How much more full needs the time be?' asked Starsky, with a glance at his groin. Hutch ignored it.

'I have explained it to thee once already,' he said. 'Nothing has changed since then, except thou art a few days older, and yet still alive, despite thy vow that thou wouldst die, if thou didst not mate with me upon the instant. Follow my movements carefully, and keep thine eyes straight ahead.'

Starsky had moaned a complaint, but obeyed, linking his movements to Hutch's out of instinct, beginning the formation of the bond that would grow, until it became part of their nervous systems. Strong. Unbreakable. At times, even painful.

Now, the young demon cop was performing the same ritual. It would be an act of enmity, tantamount to a declaration of war, to break off the kata now. They finished the opening dance, then faced each other for the mock battle. There wasn't enough room for a proper duel, so Hutch shortened the final part of the kata to several ritual passes of his knife. Up. Down. To the left. To the right. The young cop blocked his attacks, then countered them, with a few amateur, but not entirely untrained motions of his own. They stepped back, saluted each other to declare the draw, and bowed.

They turned around, to face the room, and their audience. Huggy, Dobey, and the other cops, all stared at them with astonishment. Hutch found his clothes, and pulled them on. The young cop did the same.

'Now, tell me who thou art,' said Hutch. 'That was not the first time thou didst perform that kata. How would a demon know it?'

'We demons are not as ignorant as you hunters seem to think. You study our rituals, to know more about us. We do the same with yours.'

'Yes,' said Hutch, slowly. 'We Demon Hunters do indeed study demonic rituals. It is part of the knowledge base, which helps to develop the instincts that grow within us. But we do not perform the rituals. To do such, would lead to evil.'

'Exactly,' said the demon cop. 'And it works the other way. I met a Demon Hunter, while in mortal form. She was young, and inexperienced, and she was from your world. She did not pierce my masquerade. I was attracted to her, and pretended to become her student. The pretence led to love. She asked me to be her first husband.'

'What happened?' asked Hutch.

'She was killed, by a demon. I turned on the demon in rage, and killed him.'

'That was why thou wert sentenced to this world, in mortal form,' said Hutch.

He looked down at his knife hilt. The carven spirals spun and spun, leading him to the centre of the maze, where dwelt the dragon. He could feel Starsky's emotions, tugging at his own. Starsky's anger, fuelling his own. Starsky's desire, awakening his own.

'Thou art telling the truth,' said Hutch. 'Thou dost wish, in verity, to remain mortal.'

'I do,' said the demon.

'Swear it, on the hilt of my knife,' said Hutch. 'And I wilt train thee to be a Demon Hunter. Swear that thine allies here are true, as true as thou art true, and I shall protect them, and so shall my mate.'

The young demon cop placed his hand on the knife hilt. 'I swear,' he said. 'I wish to remain mortal. I wish to become a Demon Hunter. My friends wish to be mortal as well. All of them, to the best of my knowledge, wish this, in truth.'

'What is thy name?' asked Hutch. 'Give me a name, a human name.'

'My true human name is Tristan. I chose that because my lover's name was Ysolt.'

'How romantic,' said Hutch. 'Tristan, thou art my student, and my apprentice, from this day forth, until I declare thee to be a Demon Hunter. Obey me in all things, and I will support thee in all things. Turn against me, and I will be thine enemy, and so shall my mate, until the end of the worlds. This I swear.'

'I will be thy student, and thine apprentice. I will obey thee in all things, until thou makest me a Demon Hunter. This I swear.'

'Very well,' said Hutch. 'I have myself a new apprentice, it seems. First things first. We cannot stay here. Perchance they be already searching for me. Then, there is Captain Dobey. Perchance they be looking for him, as well. Thou knowest more than I, of the current situation. Where shall we go, Tristan?'

'We have a place, that we use as our headquarters. Will you trust us, and come there with us?'

Hutch studied his knife hilt. The spirals spun. The dragon slept, but she breathed fire. 'I will trust thee,' said Hutch. 'I will take thee at thy word, that I might trust thy friends. Do not break that trust, for I can be a powerful friend, but a far more powerful enemy.'

The dragon lashed her tail from side to side, and woke. Her eyes fixed upon Hutch, and she nodded.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

'I like this world less and less,' said Lady Hutchinson.

'My most humble apologies, Lady Mother, and what might I do to improve conditions for thee?' Starsky replied.

The Lady laughed. 'Not this world, which now we do inhabit, dolthead,' she said. 'The world to which our loved one was stolen, and which now holds him hostage. It is filled with violence, and death.' She shook her head, at the story she was reading from Starsky's computer screen.

'Violence exists throughout the worlds -- indeed, throughout the cosmos, Lady Mother.'

'Ah! But look thee. The violence of which I speak, the violence with which my beautiful son is forced to live at this time -- it is pointless violence. It appears to have no antecedence, no purpose, no fulfilment in anything wiser or better. If I kill an animal for food, that is violence, but it has a purpose.'

'The animal might not see it that way, Lady Mother,' Starsky pointed out.

'Thou art a jokester, Sirrah!' said Lady Hutchinson, mildly.

Starsky knelt at her feet, and kissed the hem of her gown. 'Forgive me, Milady,' he said. 'Hutch tells me the same thing, on every possible occasion.'

'And now do I see why he doth love thee so. Thou wert right about the animal, and its point of view. History will always be different, depending on whether it be written by the victors, or the vanquished. And yet, my son, tell me, if you can, what is the purpose, what can possibly be the purpose, of these murders? Look thou. One man, and he kills 40 innocent women, none of whom had done him any harm, or could do him any harm, because he does not even know them. They are not rivals to his Lady Wife. His wife -- the strumpet! -- she is not worthy of the title Lady Wife, for she does let her husband run loose in such a fashion, committing so much senseless mayhem.'

'I agree,' said Starsky. 'That is the problem. The women are not in charge.'

'Art thou mocking me, and my world?'

'No. Not at all. Oh, I admit, when Hutch first told me how things were, the sort of place he grew up in, I was horrified. I thought the men must be....'

'Less than men?' asked the Lady.

'Well, yes. I wondered, what sort of man would obey a woman?'

'What sort of woman would obey a man? And yet, the women of thy world were forced to do so for many thousands of years. They were treated as chattel. Uneducated, deprived of the right to vote, to own property. My husbands are all educated. They Travel the worlds. They lead my armies into battle. The cannot own land in their own right, but my husbands all hold lands in feu, from me. They do not have the power that the men of thy world once had, and yet, I do not think they are so unhappy. This world, here!' Lady Hutchinson tapped the computer screen. 'How happy are the men? How happy can men be, if they do murder so vilely, and for no gain?'

A car drove up at the door of the warehouse. One of Lady Hutchinson's husbands entered. Her Eldest Husband, Starsky noted.

'Lady Wife!' said the gentleman, with a respectful bow.

'Eldest Husband!' said the lady, with a respectful nod. 'What news hast thou for me?'

'Your mercenary troops have been hired, as you ordered, Lady Wife. They shall be here, within the hour. But, Lady, I have other news, as well.'

'Speak then, and tell me thy news.'

'The Queen, Lady, she has heard of your activities. You know that she monitors all hires of large bodies of mercenaries. She questioned me of your purpose. I told her as little as possible, but I could not lie, nor could I refuse to answer entirely.'

'Very true, Eldest Husband. And very wise. So, what was the Queen's reaction?'

'She says she is sympathetic toward your cause, Lady Wife. She means to join you. She will be coming here, to this world, tomorrow, and she requests that you should meet her.'

'And to refuse, would be an act of war. I know. Thou must join me in greeting the Queen, David Starsky, whether thou wishest to, or not.'

'Lady Mother....' Starsky began.

'Thou hast no choice, David. To ignore my arrival is one thing. I might not have forgiven thee, and might have required thy head, in recompense. To ignore the Queen's arrival, would indeed be an act of war. She would definitely not forgive thee. She would require the heads of many men, and women, before her rage wore out.'

'And thou hast spoken of senseless violence, Lady Mother,' said Starsky.

'Senseless? What is senseless about that?' asked Lady Hutchinson. 'The Queen must be powerful. She must be seen to be powerful. If she is not seen to be powerful, society will fall into chaos.'

'Then I suppose I must greet her,' Starsky agreed. 'But if my husband should come home, and I am not here to greet him, I will be at war with your Queen.'

Lady Hutchinson smiled. 'And I might join thee,' she said. 'That might be just the opening I have been looking for.'

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

'What shall we do about him?' asked Tristan, indicating Captain Dobey.

'I was going to leave him here, but that is out of the question now,' said Hutch. 'He knows too much. And it would not even require torture, for him to betray us.'

'You don't forgive easily, do you, Traveller?' asked the older cop, the spokesman for the group.

'Not easily, no. But I do forgive,' said Hutch. 'What is thy name? Now that we are comrades, of a sort, give me a name to call thee.'

'I am Officer Tremblay,' said the demon cop.

'I thank thee,' said Hutch. 'I inform thee that I do forgive, but first, I must needs be given an adequate reason for the transgression. All that I have received from Captain Dobey so far, is lies.'

Captain Dobey made noises, from behind his gag. Hutch pulled it down. 'What is it?' he asked. 'Dost thou have an adequate reason, after all?'

'I have to go to the bathroom,' the Captain announced.

'Oh, no,' said Hutch. 'I am not holding thy prick, whilst thou pisses. I might be tempted to rip it off.'

'I have to go, Hutch. Please. Or I'll go all over the floor.'

'I'll take him, Hutch,' said Huggy Bear, speaking up for the first time, in several hours.

'Take Tremblay with thee,' said Hutch. 'And thou, Dobey, do not attempt to escape. That would not be wise.'

'I won't,' said Dobey. 'I just need to go.'

'So you keep saying,' Hutch observed.

Tristan was chuckling, but he stopped, instantly, when Hutch glared at him. 'What is so funny?' asked Hutch.

'You,' said Tristan. 'Thou. Thou reminds me... remindest me of Ysolt. She was so cold, so curt at times. She seemed unkind, but only on the surface. Underneath....'

'Never thou mindest,' said Hutch. 'That matters not. Verily, I can be cold and curt, and unkind, at need. Do not trust that what lies beneath, will rise to the surface at thy command. Only one may command my heart to beat, or my soul to sing. He is far away, an entire world away, and to be honest, I think he is colder and crueller than I, at this moment.'

'And then there is thy Lady Mother,' said Tristan.

'Ah, yes,' Hutch answered.

'Is she like Ysolt?' asked Tristan.

'Mayhap, but colder and crueller, for she has lived somewhat longer…. Ah, Dobey. Hast thou finished pissing?'

'Yes, thanks,' said Dobey. 'Now what?'

'Now what? That is the very question that has been plaguing me. Now what? What shall I do with thee? I cannot kill thee. That would be messy. I cannot leave thee behind, for I do not trust thee. I cannot set thee free, for the same reason, and for the reason that I have not forgiven thee. Thus, we must take thee with us.'

'Do we get a vote?' asked Tremblay.

'No,' said Hutch, with astonishment. 'What gave thee that impression?'

'Nothing. Just curious. How are we going to take him with us, though? He might escape, or make a noise, and attract attention. It's almost fully light out. But he's big, and cumbersome. We cannot simply pick him up, and carry him.'

'Why not?' asked Hutch. 'There's a rug in the bedroom. Roll him up in that.'

Tremblay grinned, and went to get the rug.

'Hutch....' Dobey began.

'Be quiet,' said Hutch. 'I strongly advise that.' He replaced Dobey's gag. 'If there is no adequate reason for a transgression, the suffering of the transgressor might compensate, for the suffering of the transgressed against. Of course, in our particular case, it would take weeks for thee to suffer enough, to compensate me, but every little bit counts.'

Tremblay came back with the rug, and he chuckled, as Tristan had done. He didn't cease to do so, when Hutch glared at him.

'Come on, Captain Dobey,' said Tremblay. 'There will be no arguing with him, in this mood. I don't even think his mate could do that.'

'Leave Starsky out of this, and let us be off,' said Hutch. 'Those demons out in the street are plotting something. And if they're demons, it must be evil.'

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

'I'm hardly of high enough rank to be welcoming a Queen, Lady Hutchinson,' Captain Dobey pointed out. 'Especially a Warrior Queen. Shouldn't the President be here to greet her? Or better yet, Queen Diana, of England? Are you certain she won't be offended?'

'I'm certain, Captain Dobey. Be thou at peace,' said Lady Hutchinson. 'Our Queen is on a personal mission, to help me rescue my son. For her visit to be noticed by the royalty of thy world, would be a breach of protocol. She has posted her plans with the governments of the leading nations of thy World, in order to prevent misunderstandings.'

'Then why am I here at all?' asked Dobey.

'Thou art, in some sense, the head of David Starsky's family. Thou art a man, of course, which is unfortunate. But it can't be helped.'

'Yeah. Well. Sorry about that.'

'Thou art forgiven.'

'Thank you,' said Captain Dobey, with heavy irony, which Lady Hutchinson seemed not to notice. Starsky nudged him, and grinned. Lady Hutchinson appeared not to notice that little by-play either.

The Gate was opening.

Gates were individuals, thought Dobey. Each one had its own characteristics, its own sound, and colour, and temperament. He was no Traveller, and so he could not open a Gate himself, but he had travelled to other worlds in the company of Travellers.

He remembered one Traveller telling him that opening a Gate was like persuading a lover to open her legs. What worked with one lover, might not work with another. One time you had to entreat, another time it was better to command.

The Gate opened, like a red velvet curtain drawing back. The scene behind the curtain was misty, and distant, like an old photograph in black and white. A woman stepped through, followed by her entourage. She was tall, and black, and beautiful and commanding. Dobey imagined she did little entreating with any lover, nor would she need to. He reminded himself that he was a married man, and bowed in as dignified a manner as he could assume.

'Lady Hutchinson. David Starsky,' the Queen acknowledged. 'And thou art?'

Starsky nudged him in the ribs. He looked up. The Queen was smiling at him. A cat smiling at the mouse it is about to tease, before killing it and biting its head off.

'I am Captain Harold Dobey. David Starsky's superior officer at Metro.'

'Metro? Ah, yes. Thy police station. We will see it, before we return home.'

'I would be happy to show it to you, Your Majesty,' said the Captain. Then he blushed. 'My police station, I mean,' he added.

'Of course,' said the Queen. 'What else? In the meantime, we have a world to invade.' The Queen smiled in that cat-like manner again. She turned to one of the men accompanying her. 'Senior Consort!' she said. 'Call forth our army.'

It was indeed an army that marched through the Gate. Rank after rank of women, and men, marched through and lined up before their monarch.

'Do you think we have enough soldiers?' the monarch asked her chief advisor.

'That depends, Your Majesty, on what you intend to do with them,' Lady Hutchinson pointed out.

'Rescue dear Kenneth, of course, my dear,' said the Queen.

Dobey wondered what 'dear Kenneth' would have to say to that. He caught Starsky's eye, and saw his own doubts reflected there. Oh, well. Dear Kenneth was perfectly capable of expressing his displeasure, if he saw fit. Even to his own Queen, if the rumours were true.

The Senior Consort approached him. 'I have never been to this world,' he said. 'Do you have room for my Queen's army, at your homestead?'

Dobey stared at him, imagining showing up at home with several thousand troops. Imagining the look on Edith's face. Imagining himself sleeping on the couch for months after.

David Starsky intervened, to Dobey's relief. 'I have room enough,' he said. 'It's a bit damp, and dusty, but there should be room to pitch their tents. Follow me.'

The army set off, after Starsky. The Queen was talking to Lady Hutchinson. Neither of them seemed to notice that Starsky had effectively cut out the Royal Army from under its leader's nose.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

'This was a Police Station, at one time,' said Tristan.

'But it hath been closed for several years,' Hutch observed. 'Why? Dost thou know?'

'Not for certain,' said Tristan. 'A sudden drop in the crime rate, perhaps?'

'Such things do happen,' said Hutch. 'But not here, methinks. And if such an amazing event had taken place, the government would have created new crimes, to give the police something to do.'

Tristan chuckled. 'You are a cynic,' he said.

'That I am, in truth,' Hutch admitted. 'With reason. I have spent most of my life hunting demons. It's nothing personal,' he added, at Tristan's sigh.

'Shall we go inside?' asked Tristan.

Hutch studied the old, decaying building. It held interesting possibilities, he thought. The cells might still be usable. He wondered it there were weapons, hidden away in desk drawers. Or had everything useful been carted away, and destroyed?

They opened the trunk of the car, and pulled Dobey out, wrapped in his rug. 'Are you still alive?' asked Hutch. Dobey grunted.

The other demon cops drove up in their car, and joined them. Tristan unlocked the back door of the station, and the door swung open.

'Wait!' said Hutch, raising his hand. 'There's someone inside.'

'There often is,' said Tristan. 'Homeless people use it, as a shelter. An unofficial shelter. We try to discourage it, but they hang around anyway. And they do provide a bit of cover, for our activities.'

Hutch drew his knife. He studied the hilt. At the heart of the maze, the dragon was sleeping.

'Do you suspect demons?' asked Tristan.

'Always,' said Hutch. 'But I don't sense any here, with the exception of thou, and thy friends. When was the last time thou wert in this place?'

'Several days,' said Tristan. 'Why?'

'Events have been unfolding here, without thy knowledge. Walk carefully.'

They moved into the building. Hutch in the lead, with his knife drawn, and Tristan at his side. The other demon cops coming up behind, carrying Dobey, rolled in his rug.

'Our meeting room is just ahead,' said Tristan. 'We keep it locked, with several strong locks. It's stocked with food, and blankets, and....'

'And someone has broken the lock,' Hutch noted. 'Thou hast a guest, it seems.'

They opened the door. Someone squealed in fright, and jumped to her feet. She was tiny, with huge blue eyes, and auburn curls, and she held a bundle of rags in her arms as if it were precious.

'Please,' she said. 'Don't hurt me. I'll do anything you tell me, just don't hurt me. Look! I have a baby. For the baby's sake.'

Hutch took several steps forward, then fell to his knees. He held up the knife, hilt first. 'Lady!' he said. 'I am your servant. Command me!'

The young mother stared down at him, her eyes growing even larger, in her terror. She stepped back, until she reached the wall, and couldn't move any further. 'Don't hurt me!' she repeated.

'Why should I hurt you?' asked Hutch, in confusion. 'I am your servant.'

'We're police officers,' said Tristan. 'We're checking this place out. It's an old police station, and it might be reopening. Do you need any help?'

The young mother seemed to relax. 'Police officers?' she asked. 'You're not drug dealers, or murderers, or rapists?'

'No,' said Tristan. 'Nothing like that.'

'Certainly not,' Hutch added. 'I am a Demon Hunter. And I am your servant,' he said firmly, for the third time.

The young mother looked at him properly for the first time. Her eyes had cleared. 'A Demon Hunter?' she asked. 'You know about demons?'

'One or two things,' said Hutch. 'What is it you need to know?'

'I'm not sure,' said the woman. 'I'm worried about my baby. I think my husband is a demon.'

'You think? Lady,' said Hutch. 'That is not a good matter on which to be in doubt.'

'I saw things,' said the woman. 'I saw him change his shape. I thought I was crazy. Maybe I am. He said I was. But then I heard him talking to his friends. Other cops. They're going to lock me up. Take the baby away.' The woman stopped for breath. Then she rushed on. 'They were talking about the baby. She's a demon too, they said. Then I knew. I had to get away. Even if I'm crazy, so are they. Crazier than I am. I think my husband is a demon, but I don't think my baby is. He's dangerous, if he thinks that.'

'You are right,' said Hutch. 'Better to divorce him. Take several new husbands. Good obedient husbands, who will not plot against you behind your back.'

The young mother stared at him. Her mouth fell open. Then she started to giggle. She sat down suddenly on the floor, still holding her baby, and laughed for some time. Tears streamed down her face.

'Now I know I'm crazy,' she managed to say at last. 'But I like it.'

 

*****************

They left Dobey rolled up in the rug, but folded it back from his head, and propped him against the wall. Hutch pulled his gag down. 'I don't think anyone can hear thee shouting around here,' he said. 'Thou wouldst be wasting thy breath.'

'I don't have the energy to shout,' said Dobey. 'You could unroll me from this damned rug, too. I'm not going to try to escape.'

'Verily?' asked Hutch, raising an eyebrow. 'Why not?'

'Why not?' Dobey echoed. 'This... this is all too interesting. I want to know what happens.'

'Ah! Thou art enjoying thyself?'

'Yes. I mean, no. No! I'm suffering horrible pains. My heart! My legs!' Dobey moaned, and rolled his eyes.

'Bad acting,' said Hutch, dismissively.

'Why is that man tied up like that?' asked the young mother. 'Is he a demon?'

'Nay, Lady,' Hutch answered. 'He doesn't really believe in demons, though he suspects, like you. But demons are real, I assure you.'

'Why do you call me 'you', and him 'thou'?' she asked.

'You are a woman, and a mother. Thus, my superior. Though you are not my Lady Mother, or my Lady Wife, and I am not bound to obey you in all things, I must address you with respect, and seek to please you in so far as I may.'

'What planet are you from?' asked the woman. 'I know of no country on earth where men obey women.'

'Not another planet,' said Hutch. 'Another World. This planet is host to many Worlds. We are living in one, but all around us, are many other worlds. We cannot see them, or hear them. But we can Travel to them, through the Gates.'

'You came here, through a gate? Why?'

'I was brought here, against my will, by demons,' said Hutch.

'And what of your wife? Does she miss you?'

'I have no Lady Wife,' said Hutch. 'But my lover misses me, and he is looking for me. He is dangerous, and I believe he has joined forces with my Lady Mother. It is fortunate that I found you. You are safer with me, Lady.'

'Lover? He? Your lover is a man?'

'Yes. Why do you look so distressed?'

'But, that is wrong,' said the young mother.

'Wrong? How is it wrong? We do not find it wrong. We find it to be right. We are more powerful together, than apart.'

'We believe it is wrong. God says it's a sin.'

'God? God, or the Goddess as we say in my world, created this universe, full of many worlds, and many ways of life. Order and chaos, abiding side by side, on and on into Eternity. I have Travelled to many of those worlds, Lady. In every World, there are different ideas of what is right and what is wrong. In one of the first worlds I Travelled to, they believed it was wrong to wash. It was a sin, they said, because humans were made of earth, and to touch water was to commit adultery, with another element. They were horrified at my appearance, clean of the mud with which I should have been coated. I tried to follow their example, but I could not. It went against all I believed in. They caught me bathing in a river.'

'What happened?' the young mother gasped.

'They accused me of heresy against the Earth, and sentenced me to be buried alive. At my trial, I spoke in my own defence. I said that in my World, we believe we are born of the Goddess of the Ocean, and that I must honour Her by bathing. Some took my words to heart, and they started a new religion. They rescued me from the tomb in which I was buried, and set me up as their first priest. I stayed for a while, then I told them I had to return to my own world. They still see me as a sort of messiah, I am sure. It was not my intention to found a new religion, it happened by accident. But when I did return to my own world, I faced a new trial, for interfering in another culture. I was found innocent, but some Travellers still opposed my actions, saying I am a force for chaos, rather than order.'

'These Travellers know you well,' Dobey observed.

'Verily,' said Hutch. 'Chaos has its place in the universe. It is as important as order. Too much order leads to stagnation, and death.'

'What does chaos lead to?' asked Dobey. 'What did it lead to on that world where you became a messiah?'

'It led to a new religion. It led to religious wars, because some could not stomach the new religion. It led to death, and destruction. But it also led to new ways of thinking. Chaos is dangerous. Life is dangerous.'

'You are dangerous,' said Dobey.

'Yes,' said Hutch. 'I am. Never forget it.'

He reached for his knife, and studied the hilt. At the heart of the maze, the dragon awoke. Her eyes glowed red, and she breathed fire.

'What wilt thou?' asked Hutch, of the dragon. 'What is in thy heart?'

'Chaos,' hissed the dragon.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

'What is it thou art saying, David Starsky?'

'Your Majesty. Lady Mother. I am saying that the troops are bivouacked on my property. I own this warehouse, and the lands around it. This is my World, not yours. I would consider any attempt to take charge of the troops and order them into battle against my wishes to be an act of war. And I will respond accordingly.'

Starsky had prepared that little speech carefully, and rehearsed it many times. He was rather proud of it. Certainly it had the desired effect, of reducing his listeners to stunned silence.

Hutch's Lady Mother, and the Queen, were intelligent women, despite their quick tempers. They looked at him, standing resolute before The Wall, and decided to listen, before taking aim, and firing.

'What is it thou wishest, David Starsky?' asked the Queen.

'I want you to listen to me. You listen to the advice of your husbands, don't ya? Even if they're men? I may be a man, and in your world, I wouldn't be equal to a woman. But this is not your world. And you know nothing of the world beyond that wall.' Starsky waved his hand, indicating the Damned wall of brick that kept him from his Hutch. 'Hutch is there. He knows who he is, now. He's heard me call him, but he's staying there. He must have a reason. I have to respect that.'

'So, David Starsky,' said the Queen, in a soft, dangerous voice. 'Thou dost suggest we sit here and do nothing? Thou dost suggest that I should bow to thy superior knowledge, and hand over my troops to thee?'

'Not at all, Your Majesty. I suggest that you command your own troops. But, I suggest that I go first, through that wall, as soon as the Gate opens, at sunset. I suggest that you give me time to assess the situation. I'm a Demon Hunter. I know a little of that World. I know Hutch. He knows us. He knows we're ready to charge through the Gate, to rescue him. He's not happy.'

'Thou knowest this?' asked Lady Hutchinson.

'I've always been able to feel what he feels,' Starsky admitted. 'Even when we're in different Worlds. It's hard to understand him, sometimes. I don't know what he's up to. But I know he's not happy with me. With us. If we can get out of this without starting an Inter-World War, I suggest we try.'

'Is that the last of thy suggestions, David Starsky?' asked the Queen.

'For the moment, Your Majesty,' said Starsky.

'Thou art a brave man, indeed,' said the Queen. 'Lady Hutchinson was right. Kenneth Hutchinson is a fortunate man. I am not happy with thy rebellion, but I'll let it pass, considering the circumstances. Thou shalt pass through the Gate, as soon as it opens, at sunset. I shalt give thee the space of two hours, and then, Lady Hutchinson and I shall follow thee, with all our forces behind us. That is my final judgement.'

Two hours! thought Starsky. It was scarcely enough time, but more time than he had dared hope for. It would have to do.

'Thank you, Your Majesty,' he said.

Now, they had only to wait until sunset. He had forged identification papers, in case he was stopped and questioned. He had the money he'd borrowed from Hutch. He knew how to get to Hutch's place from the cemetery. None of this might be necessary, but it was best to be prepared.

The light from outside the warehouse was growing dim. The troops were growing restless. It was tight quarters in the warehouse, and cold outside, and there was little to do but sit and wait. Sit and wait for possible war.

Starsky sat, and waited, and played with his demon-killing knives. He sent out questioning tendrils of love towards Hutch, hoping for an answer. Forgive me my fear, and my longing, he thought. Come home to me, without a fight, and I'll give you such a welcome as no husband in the history of your World has ever known. Our bed is waiting right here, and as soon as we send your family and friends packing off home....

The Wall began to waver. Starsky could hear the strange music that heralded the opening of the Gate. He turned and saluted his Lady Mother, and the Queen.

'Two hours,' he said. 'Don't forget.'

Lady Hutchinson nodded, her eyes upon the opening Gate.

'Two hours,' the Queen agreed. 'That is all the time thou shalt receive from me, so use it wisely.'

Starsky turned back to the Gate and jumped through, to Hutch and all the dangers that awaited.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

'Lady? It's nearly sunset. Mayhap we should assemble before the Gate.'

'I'm not sure I understand the reason for that, Mr. Hutchinson.'

'Call me Hutch, Lady. All my friends do so. I consider you a friend.'

'Then please don't call me Lady. I'm not used to it. My name is Mary.'

'Ah. If you wish, I will call you Mary. We should assemble before the Gate, because that would be the best strategy.'

'Why dost thou think so, Traveller?' asked Tristan. 'Won't we be putting ourselves in danger, out in the open, like that?'

'True,' said Hutch. 'But I think it necessary. I've been piecing the story together, though I'm sure many parts are missing. The Demon Council uses this World as a prison to punish erring demons. But some demons want to stage a coup. What better place to find willing rebels, than in a prison, full of demons with a grudge against the council? Thou didst swear on my knife, that thou hast no wish to return to demonhood, and the dragon believes thee. So do I. But there are those who would relish the chance. Not long hence, a number of wild demons came through the Gate. They have likely been wreaking havoc, in this World.'

'We know this to be the case,' said Tristan.

'It's also likely that they, and their allies among your number, have had you, and me, under surveillance. But they haven't attacked. Why not? Most likely because they feel themselves at a disadvantage. Or at least, not at a distinct advantage. Tonight is Samhain. The Gates will open. Demons will pour through, giving them the advantage they need.'

'So, why should we put ourselves in their line of fire?' asked Tremblay.

'Because my mate will also be there, and my Lady Mother with her troops. They don't know that. I do. There is little point in hiding from your enemies, if your allies also don't know where to find you.... Lady Mary. We should assemble before the Gate. You will be safer there, than hiding here.'

Mary studied his face, as if trying to assess his sincerity, and wisdom. 'I don't understand what you mean about the dragon,' she said at last. 'And I'm not sure what your mate, and your mother can do to help me. But I see your point about hiding here. I can't do that forever. I wish there were a safer place for my baby. But where could I go? If I started talking about demons, and my husband being one, most people would think I was crazy. You're the only person who has listened to me. I'll take a chance, and trust you.'

'Wise choice,' said Hutch. 'You are a woman and a Lady Mother, and I have sworn to protect you with my life. I re-affirm that vow, now. Tristan?'

'Yes. I will do the same,' said the ex-demon.

'Then let us be on our way,' said Hutch.

'Are you taking us with you?' asked Huggy Bear, his first words after a long silence.

'My opinion still stands, Huggy. Thou woulds't be safer in my world, for now. But I won't force thee to come along. Dobey? Dost thou have an opinion on this matter?'

'Yes, I have an opinion,' said Dobey. 'I still think you're crazy. I don't want to travel to this world of yours. Does everyone there talk like you? I'd be crazy too, in a week.'

'Good point,' said Hutch. 'I think I shall take thee along, after all. It will serve thee right. Come on!'

They moved out cautiously, though Hutch had no sense that demons were near. It was nearly sunset, and Hutch was beginning to worry about missing his unscheduled rendezvous with Starsky. Starsky would not be likely to wait about in the cemetery for Hutch to join him. He would start searching about the city, for his lost lover.

The thought brought a smile to Hutch's face. Soon, he would see Starsky again, and touch him. Kiss him. Lie with him in their bed. He reached out with tendrils of love, and longing, and pleading for forgiveness.

'Forgive me,' he thought. 'I had no wish to stay away from your side. It was necessary.'

A deep, forgiving love filled him. He could feel Starsky near. Very near.

'The Gate has opened!' he said. 'It has opened early, and Starsky is here. Tristan. Drive faster.'

We should have been there, when the Gate opened, he thought. What if the demons are waiting, instead of us? Could Starsky hold them all off, alone? No. He won't be alone. He'll have troops with him. My Lady Mother's troops, at the least.

Unless he's done something rash. Such as scout ahead on his own. Would Starsky do that?

'Tristan. Drive faster. Forget the speed limit. This is an emergency.'

Tristan reached down, and turned on the siren. Tremblay reached under the seat, and put the Mars light on the roof of the van. Good idea, thought Hutch. Just in case.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Okay, perhaps he had been too cautious, thought Starsky. Or, not cautious enough? Perhaps. But then, how could he have known the situation? That was why he suggested he go on ahead, and check the situation out. Leave it to a woman to listen to a man the one time it would have been better if she'd been a typical stubborn female determined to have her own way.

'Why don't we just kill him?' asked one of the bad cops, who had their guns trained on him.

'Why don't we just kill him?' repeated their ring leader. 'I don't know, Langley. Maybe because he's worth more to us alive, than he would be dead?'

'Well, why's that?' asked Langley, clearly mystified. 'He's a Demon Hunter. We're demons. It seems to me....'

'Yeah, Langley. It seems to you. That's the final word, in my book. We keep him alive. Someone's bound to want him back. Humans have strange tastes.'

'If you say so,' said Langley.

'You. Demon Hunter,' said the leader, to Starsky. 'Hand over your hunting knife.'

'No,' said Starsky.

'Hand it over, or we'll....'

'Or you'll what? Shoot me? You just said I was worth more to you alive, than dead. Changed your mind?'

'No. But the idea of you being armed makes me nervous.'

'Tough shit,' said Starsky. 'You know Demon Hunters never surrender their knives. I'd rather hand you my balls on a plate.'

'I might ask for them next, if you don't co-operate,' said the demon leader. 'Where's your knife?'

'You want my knife, you come and get it,' said Starsky.

'Keep your guns trained on him, boys,' said the demon leader, and he advanced on Starsky.

Starsky waited, calmly and quietly. The demon leader patted him down the front, feeling for the knife. Demons never believed that the knives were not accessible.

'Turn around,' said the demon.

Starsky turned. The demon felt down his back, down the back of his legs, between his legs.

'That tickles,' said Starsky.

'Shut up, and turn and face me.'

'Sure. Whatever you say.' Starsky turned, his knife in his hand. He had the demon by the neck, the blade pressed against his throat, before he could react, and order his men to shoot.

'Okay,' said Starsky. 'Some demons never learn. Tell your boys to back off.'

'I'd rather hand you my balls on a plate,' said the demon.

'If that's what you'd rather, who am I to deny you,' said Starsky, and he started moving the knife lower.

The demon kicked out, trying to escape Starsky's grip. 'Shoot! Shoot him, you morons!' he called to his buddies.

A bullet whizzed by Starsky's ear, missing him by centimetres. Starsky moved his knife blade back to the demon's throat. 'Tell them to back off,' said Starsky, again.

He could hear sirens, coming toward them. Backup for the bad cops, he thought. He kept his grip on the demon's throat, determined to go down fighting, like a true Demon Hunter. A van, sirens wailing, was driving straight for him. Before it came to a full stop, one of the doors opened, and Hutch leapt out, to stand with his shoulder pressed to Starsky's.

'What took you so long?' Starsky asked.

'I had to convince my friends t'were best if they joined me,' Hutch explained.

None of his friends left the van, but a window rolled down, and the barrel of a gun appeared, trained on the demon cops. A voice over the loudspeaker ordered them to lay down their weapons.

'You lay down yours, first,' said Langley. 'I'm willing to shoot it out with you,'

'Tell him to back off,' said Starsky. 'Or I will cut your throat. Slowly.'

'Does not this seem to thee to have happened before?' asked Hutch, as they all stared hard at each other.

'Yes,' said Starsky. 'But this version will have a different ending. We'll be on the same side of that damned Gate.'

'I hope so,' said Hutch. 'How didst thou make it through? The Gate is closed.'

'I know,' said Starsky, ruefully. 'It opened, a bit before sunset. I came through, alone.'

'To scout out the territory,' said Hutch.

'Yes. And then the damned Gate closed again. Why did it open, in the first place?'

'That was my fault,' said Hutch. 'I opened it by accident, because I wanted to see thee so much.'

'Like the last time,' said Starsky. 'You called me to you. And here I am. Now what?'

'Now I open the Gate wide, for real,' said Hutch. 'I imagine my Lady Mother is waiting with her troops?'

'Your Lady Mother, and your Queen,' said Starsky.

'Oh, shit!' said the demon leader. He opened his mouth to warn his buddies, but he was too late.

The Gate sprang wide open, with a great blare of martial music. Troops poured through, Lady Hutchinson and the Queen at their head.

'I think you are slightly outnumbered,' Hutch pointed out, to the demons. 'You should have taken the opportunity to surrender, when it was offered to you.'

 

****************

'We would like to ask you a few questions,' said Hutch, to their prisoners.

'I should not,' said Lady Hutchinson. 'I should like to execute them all.'

She demonstrated by stabbing one of the prisoners in the neck with her knife.

'Shall I go on cutting?' she asked. 'I should like to remove thy head, slowly, and carefully, keeping thee alive as long as possible, and listening to thee scream.'

'Lady Mother,' said Hutch, gently. 'We may not torture prisoners. It is against all the laws of Demon Hunting.'

'Thou mayst not torture prisoners,' said Lady Hutchinson. 'Thou art a Demon Hunter. I am one no longer. I am thy Mother, and these monsters kidnapped thee, and tortured thee. They are demons, and criminals, and responsible for much pain, and from what I can make out, there is no court in this Goddess-forsaken World that will punish them. I must needs do so, and I shall.'

'Wait! Wait!' said the prisoner, in whose body Lady Hutchinson's knife was residing. 'We didn't kidnap your son. We had nothing to do with that.'

'Who did?' asked Lady Hutchinson. 'I should like to know the answer to that, and a few more questions.'

'It was the Demon Council. You already know that. And we are as much their victims as your son.'

'I reserve the right to doubt that,' said Lady Hutchinson.

'So do I,' was Starsky's comment. 'And even if you were, you don't seem to have learned anything from your suffering.'

'Some of them have learned something,' said Hutch. 'My new friends here. Especially my apprentice, Tristan.'

'Do you trust them?' asked Starsky, softly. 'I'm not sure I do.'

'I trust them, because the dragon trusts them. She approved my taking Tristan as an apprentice.'

Starsky nodded. 'If the dragon approves, then who am I to argue?' he asked. 'But that tells us nothing about what these jokers were up to.' He glared down at the demon cop. 'Why were you here, at the Gate?' he asked.

'Trying to escape this World, of course,' said the cop, forlornly. 'We've never managed it before. Every time we tried, we were caught. But we had hopes, this year.'

'Because of Hutch,' said Starsky. 'Because you figured I'd come after him, if he didn't open the Gate himself to return home. And we'd fight the Demon Council, if they showed up.'

'Well, yes,' said the cop.

'But they haven't shown up,' said Starsky.

'Well, no,' said the cop.

'Because we got here first, and they're probably back on the other side of the Gate,' said Starsky.

'Well, yes,' said the cop.

'Which means they are probably wreaking havoc back in our own world, and we're not there to fight them,' Hutch pointed out. 'And it is my belief that this whole plot was to get us out of the way so they could do so.'

'Well, yes,' said Starsky. 'So, maybe we should all go home and fight them?'

'That sounds like a good suggestion to me,' said Hutch. 'My Queen. My Lady Mother. I am sorry you did not get to go to war against any opponent more fearsome than these few cowards. But you could use your troops to fight the Demon Council back on Starsky's world, if you wish.'

The Queen looked about, regretfully. 'I suppose you are right, dear Kenneth,' she said. 'I was looking forward to invading a World, and teaching it a lesson. It's a bit depressing to have only invaded a graveyard, and punished a few pathetic would-be demons. But let us fight the Demon Council, by all means. Like the old days, Lady Hutchinson?'

'Like the old days, Your Majesty,' said Hutch's Lady Mother. 'You may all leave,' she said to the demon cops. 'Leave now, and never come back.'

The demon cops ran off, gratefully.

One of them glared at Mary, as he ran by. 'I'll be back,' he said. 'You can count on it.'

'What about your friends?' asked Starsky, as the troops began retreating through the Gate.

'That is up to them,' said Hutch. 'Most of them have families here, and no wish to leave this world. Tristan?'

'Yes, my teacher?'

'Dost thou wish to come with me, to my world, and continue your instruction? It will mean that thou might return to demon form. Wilt thou take that chance?'

'I could control it before, my teacher. I have no wish to be a demon, but it might overpower me. Art thou willing to take that chance?'

'I am,' said Hutch. 'The dragon approved our association. Who am I to argue? Lady Mary? What about you? Will you come with me, to my world? You told me there was nothing left for you here.'

'What will there be for me in your world, Hutch?' asked Mary.

'Whatever you wish,' said Hutch. 'If you mean the world where I was born, well, you would have little power there, on your own. You would have to compete against many powerful women, to set up a household. But in Starsky's world, where I live now -- the possibilities are endless. If you like, you can live with us. You are a mother, and will be treated with respect. You can marry, as often as you wish, and bring new husbands into the family. Have more children, if you like.'

'What are you saying, Hutch?' asked Starsky. 'You want us to marry her?'

'No. Not exactly. But I want a larger household, with children in it.'

'Ah!' said Starsky. 'And in the future, you are thinking of moving home, and challenging a few powerful women, with all of us on your side?'

'That is what I am thinking,' said Hutch. 'Are you with us, Lady Mary?'

Mary looked at the Gate, at the troops marching through. She turned and looked back, in the direction the demon cops had fled.

'Sure,' she said. 'Why not? It beats waiting here, to be caught by my husband.'

'Yes. He could not touch you there,' said Hutch. 'Even if he escaped this prison, Starsky and I will protect you.'

'So will I,' said Tristan, passionately.

Starsky caught Hutch's eye, and grinned.

Well, well, thought Hutch.

'Hutch?'

Hutch looked up. Huggy was standing there, looking just a little bereft.

'If there isn't going to be a war, in this world, I suppose I can stay here?' he said. 'But I'll miss you. I've lost two friends, in a few weeks time.'

'You may come with us, if you like,' said Starsky.

'Is there a Huggy Bear in your world?' asked Huggy Bear.

'Oh, yes,' said Starsky. 'There is.'

'Then I'd rather stay here,' said Huggy. 'The Bear needs to be unique. And that leaves Captain Dobey. What about him?'

'It's illegal to kidnap someone, and take him to another World,' said Hutch. He strolled up to Dobey, and looked down at his bound prisoner. 'What do you think?' he asked. 'Do you think you've atoned for your sins against me?'

'No,' said the Captain. 'Probably not.'

'Then why don't you go with them, until you have?' said Huggy Bear. 'Maybe their Captain Dobey will have one or two things to say to you.'

'Yes,' said Captain Dobey. 'He probably will.'

Almost all the troops were on the other side of the Gate once more. Time to leave. It was like a comedy of errors, thought Starsky -- one miscalculation after another. But they had settled a few things.

'Come on,' said Starsky. 'Everyone who's coming with me. Let's make sure no one gets left behind.'

 

*********************

'What happened to the war?' asked Huggy Bear -- their Huggy Bear. He was waiting for Starsky and Hutch, just inside the Gate. The troops were marching out of the warehouse, into the now darkened streets of Bay City.

'We think the war is here, in this world,' Starsky explained. 'The Queen, and Hutch's mommy, are going to offer their services to fight it.'

'Hutch's mommy?' asked Hutch, incredulously. Before Starsky could answer, Huggy was crushing Hutch in a bear hug.

'Man, am I glad to see you,' said Huggy. Then he noticed Dobey. 'So, you're the son of a bitch who kept our Hutch in a jail cell,' he said. He let go of Hutch, and punched Dobey in the nose.

'Do I know you?' asked Dobey, rubbing his nose. 'You look familiar, but I don't think we've been introduced.'

'Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Huggy Bear, and I have one or two things to say to you. So does Captain Dobey.'

'I'm Captain Dobey,' said Captain Dobey.

'Not here, you're not,' said Huggy Bear.

'Can we settle all this later?' asked Hutch. 'I just got home, and there's a possible war to run. I'm not letting the Queen, and Starsky here, and -- oh, yes! My mommy -- handle it all. Where is my mommy, anyway?' He stomped off to find her.

Well, thought Starsky. It looks like I won't be getting any for a while yet. Maybe for days, by the look on Hutch's face. One thing he could settle. He looked Dobey up and down.

'Let's get you locked away, until I can deal with you,' he said. 'One of the storage rooms has hooks in the wall. We can chain you to them.'

'You're going to chain me to the wall?' asked Dobey. 'What sort of world is this?'

'I wouldn't complain, if I were you. Not after the way you treated Hutch,' said Starsky.

'Starsk!' shouted Hutch from the warehouse door. 'I've been trying to call Metro, but all the lines were busy. I finally got someone to answer the phone. It was one of the janitors. He says there's a big demon invasion going on, downtown. We're moving out. Me, and the Queen, and -- oh, yes! My mommy. Art thou with us, in this endeavour?'

'Sure, Hutch. But Dobey here....'

'Never mind him. We've got bigger fish to fry.'

'I'll take care of him, Starsky,' said Huggy Bear. 'You're the Demon Hunter. I'm the restaurateur. I'll serve him up a nice big dish of crow.'

'Thanks, Huggy. You might save some for me, if Hutch doesn't smile at me soon.'

'He'll get over his snit, Starsky. Soon as he kills a few demons.'

Starsky looked over at Hutch, waiting in the doorway. Yes, he thought. He looks in a rare demon-killing mood. The Demon Council is going to rue the day it messed with him.

'Let's rock!' said Starsky.

 

********************

They were quick-marching through the streets of Bay City, toward the theatre of war. There was no time to find transportation for all the troops at such short notice, so Starsky and Hutch marched with them.

Starsky stole a glance at Hutch, out of the corner of his eye. Hutch looked dimmed, somehow. Tired. Hurt. Since they met in the cemetery, Hutch had not looked Starsky in the eyes, of his own accord. Not once. He spoke to him, but not really to him, Starsky thought. It was as if Hutch were speaking on the phone, from the other side of the world. Starsky had tried to touch him once or twice, but Hutch had edged away. Slowly and carefully. Inconspicuously.

'Hutch?'

'Yes?' asked Hutch, in that Damned distant voice.

'Do you still love me?'

'What kind of stupid question is that?' asked Hutch.

He sounded pissed off, thought Starsky. That was a vast improvement, over dimmed, tired and hurt. 'It's a reasonable question,' he averred. 'You don't act as if you love me.'

'We're in a public street, with thousands of people around. Soldiers of my Lady Mother and the Queen. We're on our way to fight a war against the Demon Council. What is it thou wishest for me to do for thee?'

'We're on our way to war, yes. That's why I need to know you love me. Tell me you love me.'

'I love you,' said Hutch. His voice quivered a little.

Starsky stopped marching. He grabbed Hutch's arm, and pulled him to a halt. He tugged Hutch's head down for a kiss. 'I love you too,' he said.

'Starsk....'

'Hutch, we're lovers first. Demon Hunters second. Remember?'

'I remember,' said Hutch.

'That's good, because it seems like you've forgotten.'

'I haven't forgotten.'

'Then look me in the eyes.'

Hutch looked him in the eyes. Hutch's eyes were dark. Unfathomable. Full of pain.

I will kill whoever put that look in your eyes, Starsky thought. Man or demon. He pulled Hutch in for another kiss, and added his tongue this time. He could feel Hutch relax, and forget about the soldiers of his Lady Mother and the Queen.

'That's more like it,' Starsky told him.

They could hear the battle up ahead. The bellows of demons. The chants of Demon Hunters. Starsky reached for his knives. Hutch gazed down at the hilt of his own knife.

'The dragon is wide awake,' he said.

'How could she sleep, through that racket?' asked Starsky.

Hutch smiled at the small joke. Starsky took his hand. 'We're together again,' he said. 'Together.'

'Yes. That's the most important thing,' said Hutch.

He bent and kissed Starsky, all on his own. It was a quick kiss. Light. His lips barely touching Starsky's mouth. But the caress held a promise, and a reassurance. It was not Starsky who had put the shadow in his eyes, but it would be Starsky who would banish it.

******************

'I want to find Sydonay, and kill him,' said Starsky, as they entered the fray.

'What a surprise,' Hutch commented. 'Get in line, behind me. In the meantime, there are many other foes from which to choose. What thinkest thou of the zombies?'

'Nice touch,' said Starsky. 'I think I recognizest an old lover.'

'Where?' asked Hutch. 'He's my first victim.'

The zombies were a nice touch. There was something unsettling about slack-jawed, empty-eyed people ambling forward, unperturbed by the spears pointed their way. What could the army do to them, after all? They were already dead. Starsky picked out one particularly unsavoury-looking specimen, and killed him again. After a moment, the zombie got back on his feet, and shuffled onward.

'He looks a bit like unto thee,' said Hutch.

Starsky smiled. The battle was having its usual positive effect on his Hutch. Perhaps tonight wouldn't be a complete waste, when all was said and done. Killing Sydonay might help, though. There was a certain feeling of satisfaction in dispatching a demon, back to Hell where it belonged.

'There he is,' noted Starsky.

'Whom? Thine old lover?'

'No, stupid. Sydonay.' Starsky used one of his knives to point in the direction of the demon. 'His looks haven't improved since the last time we saw him. I get the first blow, whatever you think. I want to take him down myself.'

'We'll take him down together,' said Hutch. And Starsky agreed.

They moved forward, knives drawn. They moved as one, like the oiled demon-fighting machine they were. It was perfect, thought Starsky.

*************************

'That was sloppy,' was Hutch's judgement. 'We're out of practice.'

'We got Sydonay,' said Starsky. 'That's the most important thing. And we beat back the demon invasion.'

'Just barely,' said Dobey. Their own Dobey. They were back at the warehouse. The Queen and her Troops had returned home, victorious. Hutch's Lady Mother and her husbands were still here, but she'd sent her mercenaries home with the Queen.

'The Demon Council is stronger than we thought,' Dobey continued. 'They've been planning this for some time, and they won't be happy you guys killed their General.'

'I grieve for them,' said Hutch. 'I'll send flowers to the funeral.'

'Do that,' said Dobey. 'In the meantime, you need to have those wounds checked out.'

'They're healing already,' said Hutch.

'And you should be checked by a doctor, anyway,' said Dobey. 'After all you've been through in that other World....'

'No. No doctors. I'll have a bioscan.'

'Hutchinson!'

'No. I'm not letting any doctor within ten miles of me. It's my legal right to refuse medical treatment. I'll have a bioscan. It will show I'm fit for duty.'

'That's for me to determine,' said Dobey. 'And your partner, here. He has to work with you. And live with you. Though how he puts up with you, is a mystery to me. You can be fired for refusing medical treatment, in case that point had escaped your attention.'

'You may fire me any time you like,' said Hutch, coldly. 'And Starsky may leave any time he likes.'

'Hey! Never mind talking about me, like I'm not here,' said Starsky. 'I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Hutch says he'll have a bioscan. I have our unit right here. If the scan shows any problems, we'll deal with them.'

Hutch eyed him suspiciously. Starsky kept his face calm. In the ordinary way of things, he would have dragged Hutch to the nearest hospital. But when Hutch started talking about his legal right of refusal, and Starsky's legal right to leave, it was time to back down. For now, thought Starsky.

'I don't know,' Dobey was saying.

'Look Cap, I wouldn't let anything bad happen to Hutch. You know that. He just needs a good night's sleep.'

'In this warehouse?' asked Hutch. 'It's probably crawling with rats.'

'Not any more,' Starsky said. 'Push and Pull take care of them.'

The ferrets popped their heads up, at the sound of their names, and the word "rats". Starsky picked them up, and put one of them in Hutch's arms. 'That's Pull,' Starsky told him. Hutch smiled, and stroked the golden fur. That's what he needs, thought Starsky. Something warm and furry to stroke.

'Well, have your bioscan,' Dobey ordered. 'I'll go have a word or two with my double. If the scan says your life isn't in any danger, I'll let it pass for now. '

'Fair enough. Right, Hutch?' Starsky prodded.

'Hmm?' asked Hutch, absently. 'Oh, certainly. That sounds fair. Go talk to Dobey, Dobey. And if he complains about his treatment here, tell him it's for his own good.'

 

******************

Hutch had been in the bathroom far too long, thought Starsky. They were alone in the warehouse, except for Push and Pull, who were asleep, curled up together in an armchair. Starsky had made up the bed with clean sheets, poured one glass of wine that he intended to share with Hutch, changed his clothes several times, and finally just got naked.

Hutch was still in the bathroom.

Starsky pulled down the covers of the bed, and sprawled in naked invitation across it, the glass of wine resting on his stomach.

No. That was too naked an invitation, he thought, remembering Hutch's odd resistance to his touch. He sat up again, propped himself against the headboard, and placed the wine glass on the bedside table, instead. After a moment, he pulled the covers back up, leaving only his chest exposed. Would Hutch find that threatening? Surely not.

It's like I'm seducing an uncertain virgin, yet again. For the third time. I'm getting good at this. I hope.

Hutch came out of the bathroom at last, and for all the attention he gave to Starsky, Starsky might as well have remained naked, and tied a gold ribbon around his cock for good measure. Hutch was studying their handheld bioscan unit. He sat on the end of the bed, and handed the unit to Starsky, dutifully, his eyes cast down. Starsky barely glanced at the unit, before putting it down, on the table beside the full glass of wine.

'Art not thou interested in what the bioscan has to say?' Hutch asked, quietly.

'I art,' said Starsky. 'But thou am an intelligent man, and capable of making thine own decisions. If there were a problem, you'd tell me.'

'Mayhap,' said Hutch. 'Mayhap I would tell thee.'

'You would tell me. No mayhap about it.'

Hutch seemed to give this matter some deep thought. 'The bioscan reveals that my brain chemistry has been altered,' he said at last.

'When did this happen?' asked Starsky, calmly.

'They electrocuted me.... No, really they did. They wished to cure me of loving thee.'

'Did it work?' Starsky asked, his voice tight with horror. Electrocuted? They electrocuted Hutch?

'What an appalling question,' said Hutch. 'No. It did not work.'

'Then why do you sit so far away? Come here, and let me comfort you and care for you. Let me love you.'

Hutch got to his feet, but didn't approach Starsky. Starsky watched him walk about the warehouse, examining the damp stone walls.

'I feel impure,' said Hutch, as he studied a crack in the masonry.

Starsky held his breath. He knew something had happened, to shake Hutch's image of himself.

'Not because of the electrocution,' Hutch continued. 'After I was arrested, and taken back to Metro, a number of police officers visited my cell.'

'Did they beat you?' asked Starsky, wishing he had killed Dobey when he had the chance.

'They used their batons on me, to rape me. I feel impure.'

Starsky wanted to scream that it was Dobey and the other cops who were impure, but he knew that would be no use. In Hutch's native culture, sexual fidelity was extremely important. Fidelity was a major part of a man's image of himself, as faithful, moral, and just. A man had sexual relations with his Lady Wife, and sometimes, if he wished it, with his fellow husbands. Infidelity was rare, and punished with a severity that in Starsky's world was beyond belief. Starsky was Hutch's wife and husband, rolled into one. Thus, Hutch's fidelity must be absolute, and not, under any circumstances, questioned or threatened. Of course Hutch was innocent of infidelity. The problem was to convince Hutch of that. He'd been tortured, raped, beaten and electrocuted. He wasn't thinking clearly.

'A man is like an arrow,' Hutch had told him, long ago. 'An arrow that must fly true, and hit its target, or it is flawed. A flawed arrow is worthless, and dangerous, and must be destroyed.'

'And a woman is a target?' Starsky had asked, amused.

'No, no. A woman is a quiver, that holds many arrows. A woman is a bow, that shoots many arrows. A woman is an archer, who tries to gather many arrows, and fires them at her targets, and rarely misses. If an arrow is flawed, she will miss, and lose the battle. A flawed arrow is treacherous.'

Starsky picked up the bioscan unit, and studied the report. It was as he suspected. There was little remaining physical damage. Abrasions, mostly healed. Bruising, mostly healed. Hutch hadn't been eating properly for some time, and the bioscan recommended supplements.

Then, there was the Damned altered brain chemistry. Starsky couldn't make head or tail of that part of the report, and it worried him. Hutch should see a specialist about it. No doubt in Starsky's mind there. Nor was there any doubt in Starsky's mind how Hutch would react, if he suggested such a thing.

Time to forget about seduction, thought Starsky. He slipped out of bed, and approached Hutch, like a conqueror, come to claim his due. 'Take off your clothes,' he ordered. 'Join me in a kata.'

Hutch stared at him a moment, his eyes wide. 'You want to test my fidelity?' he asked.

Starsky noted the use of the term 'you', with approval. 'I want to test thy fidelity,' he agreed. 'And I will prove it.'

 

*********************

Starsky watched Hutch take off his clothes, and struggled to remain detached and calm. His beloved was thinner than he had been the last time he saw him. Prison food and loneliness. Grief and pain. Guilt over the rape, too. Starsky wanted to forget about the kata, take Hutch in his arms, and soothe away the bad memories with love. He knew it wouldn't work. When Hutch got an idea in his mind, there was no caressing him out of it. Starsky had to demonstrate he was mistaken.

The took up their positions, side by side, and Hutch waited for Starsky to begin. Starsky thought for a moment, then raised his knives overhead, in the first movement of the Lovers Kata. Ancient, simple, but not at all easy to perform. It required balance, complete concentration, and trust in each other. Starsky watched Hutch out of the corner of his eye. Hutch hesitated for a moment, then fell into step beside him, and Starsky relaxed.

They moved together as one. Sometimes they mirrored each other, Hutch moving to the left, Starsky to the right. They danced closer together, and danced farther apart. Starsky led, and then Hutch. Weaving and twining, creating a rope, and then pulling each other in to shore.

Now for the challenge -- the combat section of the kata. Starsky turned and faced Hutch for the first time. Hutch's face was pale, and sweaty, and his eyes were dark. Starsky sketched out a movement with one of his knives, as though threatening retribution for some sin, some failure of integrity -- or fidelity. Without hesitation, Hutch replied, with a gesture of denial. Their knives clashed, broke apart, clashed again. Starsky challenged. Hutch answered. Starsky pressed on, demanding more answers. Would Hutch crack, or would he turn the tables on Starsky?

In an instant, Hutch was on the offensive, and his movements were blindingly fast, as usual. His knife barely missed Starsky's face, and Starsky sensed that Hutch was becoming truly angry, and losing his concentration. Should he let Hutch continue, or signal that the kata was over?

Even as Starsky began to worry, Hutch regained his almost-lost control. He stepped back, and raised his knife in a salute. Starsky mirrored his actions, and they bowed. The kata was over. Starsky rose from his bow, and studied Hutch's face. 'Art thou well, beloved?' he asked.

'That is for me to ask,' said Hutch. 'The decision is yours.'

'I made my decision long ago, and there is no reason to change it. You have the purest heart, and the bravest soul I've ever known.'

'I was angry at thee,' Hutch confessed, suddenly.

'Why?' Starsky asked.

'I don't know. Because thou did'st abandon me, alone there. I pushed thee through the gate, I wanted thee to leave, to be safe. But then, I was angry, like a child.'

Starsky caught Hutch in his arms, and held on tight. 'I was angry, too,' he said. 'You should have heard the names I called you.'

Hutch pulled back a little, and glared at Starsky. 'What sort of names?' he demanded.

Starsky grinned. 'Are you going to challenge me now? Test my faithfulness?'

'I think I did that,' Hutch admitted. 'Thou art faithful unto death.'

'So art thou. We seem to be stuck with each other.'

Hutch smiled -- a slow, blinding smile. 'I would be stuck with thee,' he whispered. 'If thou could'st bring thyself to oblige.'

'Are you asking me to fuck you?'

'A most crude way to put it. Thou art a bawdy tickle-brained horn-beast.'

'Sweet talker,' declared Starsky. 'Bed is this way.'

'Ruttish base-born lewdster.'

'Talk dirty to me, Hutch.'

 

******************

Starsky pressed tenderly against the opening to Hutch's body, and felt Hutch flinch. The flinch was slight, but real. Starsky wanted to ask Hutch if this were too soon, but he couldn't speak. He was overwhelmed with love. He wanted to be joined with his lover, and knew Hutch felt the same.

Hutch dug his nails into Starsky's shoulder. 'Go on,' he said. 'Thine hands. Thy cock. They aren't the same as that filthy baton. Thou know'st it. I know it.'

Starsky pressed on, and felt Hutch shudder with pleasure. When they were completely joined, they lay still for a time, breathing in gentle unison. This was the best part, he thought. The best, except for the hot, silky journey into Hutch's body, except for the moving together in a wild dance that ended in cataclysmic pleasure, except for the spiral down into peace that never lasted long enough, except for Hutch's murmurs of love, and the big, strong hands that roused him again, only a few minutes later.

*************

'They tried to make it ugly,' said Hutch. He sat up, and stretched, luxuriously. He was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and glowed in the lamplight.

'I was worried. That it was too soon, I mean,' said Starsky.

'Not too soon. It could never be too soon. Too late, mayhap. I feel as if I've been crawling across miles of desert sand, and found an oasis, just in time.'

'I'm still worried,' said Starsky. 'What they did to you, it doesn't heal that fast. Talk to me. Don't just cover it up, and try to forget.'

'I won't,' said Hutch. 'But I need to forget for now. I need thee to forget for now. I need to feel like myself again, before I can remember, and talk about it, even with thee.'

'If that's what you need, I'll go along. But do something for me?'

'Anything.'

'You might be angry when you find out what I want.'

'Thou wishest me to see a doctor about the bioscan. The brain chemistry results, for the most part. I already knew thou would'st ask that. I wonder what it portends, myself.'

'Then you'll do it?' asked Starsky, hopefully.

'In a few days. I need to find myself, and be in charge again. It is no emergency.'

'If you say so. I'd rather have a second opinion,' said Starsky.

'Thou shalt have it.' Hutch leaned forward, earnestly. 'I can hear the dragon. Most clearly. Without entering the maze. She would warn me, if I had suffered any lasting harm.'

'You hear the dragon? Hutch! You hear voices?'

'The dragon's voice, yes. Perhaps it means I'm entering a new phase. Perhaps I will be hearing thy thoughts next. Which possibility does alarm me, I must admit. All thou thinkest about is sex.'

'Not all,' said Starsky, offended. 'I think of other things, as well.'

'Food. Sleep. Killing demons.'

'What else is there?' asked Starsky, renewing an old argument. Hutch sat up straighter, and joined battle, nothing loathe.

'Many things. Sex is a low priority for men of my world. Of necessity, for we must share our wives with others, and never be unfaithful. I am rather fortunate, in that there is no one to share thee with. I have allowed my sexual needs to come to the forefront of my consciousness. Mayhap that be unwise. Mayhap that was why the demons were able to conquer me.'

'Hutch! No. Don't think that. I cannot live without this. Without you....'

'Be at peace. I'm not leaving thee. I'm not changing the nature of our intercourse. But we have always been lovers first, and demon hunters second. Mayhap it is too dangerous.'

'Is it?' asked Starsky. 'The Demon Council thought we were too dangerous. And they could not conquer us, though they tried.'

'Not this time,' said Hutch.

'As long as we are one, they will never conquer us, even if they kill us. We will always be Me and Thee.'

'Forever,' said Hutch. 'I plight thee my troth.'

*** The End***


End file.
